Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Magocrat 07-12-07, 07:13 AM	Everyone who has seen Naruto will probably remember Rock Lee's awesome technique: Hachimon, or the Eight Gates. Lately, this technique struck me as a stance. Then, I decided to do some study on that technique, and this is what I thought up. The benefits of this stance may seem to be overpowered, but take a close look at the stance before saying that it is. If this actually is overpowered, we might have the potential for an epic maneuver. Otherwise, what would be another interpretation of opening the eight gates? Would a chain of maneuvers, (a chain of) feats, or an eight-level prestige class be better? Eight Gates Martial Stance (Stance) Level: Martial Stance 9 Prerequisite: Five maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance You unleash the flow of energy in your body, increasing your strength tremendously. Your muscles begin to ripple with strength, and the rest of your body unleashes its energy thereafter. Then, your skin turns red from the blood that now rushes through your body. As you approach the peak of your body’s limits, you emanate your unleashed strength in a whirling gust of wind around you. The body is limited in its flow of energy through eight gates. Because of this limit, the body doesn’t expire too soon. However, a martial adept using the eight gates stance can open these gates to surpass their own physical limits, although this ravishes the body as it uses up much more energy than usual. While you are in this stance, you can open the eight gates. When you initiate this maneuver, you immediately open the first gate. You may open additional gates. To open a gate, you must make a Fortitude check (DC 13 + twice the number of the gate that you want to open) as a swift action. If you fail this check, you must wait one round before attempting to open that gate again. You must open the gates in consecutive order. For example, you may only open the third gate if you have opened the first and second gates. The gates and the effects of opening them are given below. First Gate: This gate is known as the opening gate, and releases the limit on the strain on your muscles. Opening the first gate grants you a +10 bonus to your Strength score. Second Gate: This gate is known as the rest gate, and releases the limit of the stamina of your body. Opening the second gate negates the effects of being exhausted, fatigued, nauseated, and sickened, and recovers ability damage to your Constitution, Strength, and Dexterity scores, but not ability burn and ability drain. In addition, you heal a number of hit points equal to your initiator level. Third Gate: This gate is known as the life gate, and releases the limit on the nervous system. Opening the second gate grants you a +10 bonus to your Dexterity score. Fourth Gate: This gate is known as pain gate, and increases the amount of air in your lungs. Opening the third gate grants you a +10 bonus to your Constitution score. Fifth Gate: This gate is known as the closing gate, and releases the limit of energy you can release. When you make a full attack, you may make one additional attack with each weapon that you wield. (If you attack with an unarmed strike, you may make two additional unarmed strikes.) Additionally, your speed doubles (this includes burrow, climb, fly, and swim speeds, but not those granted by spells, powers, maneuvers, and other effects). Sixth Gate: This gate is known as the joy gate, and releases the otherwise unused energy in your body. Opening the sixth gate grants you temporary hit points equal to your total hit points (as opposed to your current hit points). Seventh Gate: This gate is known as the shock gate, and cleans the body. Opening the seventh gate negates all harmful conditions, and recovers ability burn and ability drain to your Constitution, Strength, and Dexterity scores. Additionally, you heal all of your hit points. Eighth Gate: This gate is known as the death gate, and releases all of the body’s energy. Opening the eighth gate grants you a +10 bonus to your Constitution, Strength, and Dexterity scores. (These bonuses are in addition to those granted by opening the first, third, and fourth gates). If you open the eighth gate, you die immediately after ending this stance. Initiating this stance comes at a cost, however. When you end this stance, you become exhausted and take ability burn to your Constitution, Strength, and Dexterity scores. The amount of ability burn is equal to 2 + twice the number of gates opened during this stance. This is a special form of ability damage that cannot be magically or psionically healed. It returns only through natural healing. Unlike other stances, this stance ends immediately after the encounter ends. You can only learn this stance through the Martial Stance feat.
Mindolin 07-12-07, 05:39 PM	Okay, it's not just one technique. It's eight different gates, so it should be done as different feats if you're doing it as feats. Perhaps the best way to do it is as spells. Opening (Initial) Either Bull's Strength or Animal Affinity for Strength as it aids in physical power Rest (Heal / Energy): Perhaps Bear's Endurance or Animal Affinity for Con since it enhances stamina Life: Cat's Grace or Animal Affinity(Dex) since it pretty much improves reflexes. Pain (Harm / Wound) This is a little hard, but maybe something else to improve Con. Closing (Limit) If you go psionic, it would be the Overchannel feat, or the Reserves of Strength from the Dragonlance Campaign Setting. I'll take care of the others when I get around to it, but most DMs should allow you to take these in place of manuevers.