Akodo's Technique: Avalanche of Blades' Friend - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Akodo's Technique: Avalanche of Blades' Friend

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Nox_Noctis
Mar 24, 2008 19:06:35 Those of you that own Rokugan Campaign Setting, please open your books to page 48. There is a feat called "Akodo's Technique." Read it.

Now, most of us know the fun of Avalanche of Blades and Combat Rhythm (since I assume those that are here bothering to view this thread are those interested in martial maneuvers and the like). You make melee touch attacks until you miss at a cumulative -4 penalty per attack. Where does Akodo's Technique fit in? Every time you land a hit (with your touch attacks), you get half the difference between your attack roll and their touch AC added to your next attack.

Let us assume the enemy has an amazing Touch AC of 40. Builds such as the Meditant easily get 65 or so attack (more if you use custom items or gestalt where Arcane Duelist's Dexterous Attack doubles your base attack bonus - perfect considering Avalanche of Blades is used in conjunction with Combat Rhythm, so damage isn't the primary concern this round anyway). Now, regularly, this would mean you get 7 or so attacks that land (and this is assuming a creature with fairly phenomenal touch armor class).

If you add Akodo's Technique, your first hit lands at 65. You beat the AC by 25. You add 13 to your next roll and subtract 4. Your next roll is made at +9 from your first roll.

You have 74. This beats 40. It beats it by 34. This gives you +17. You take a -8 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at +9 from your first roll.

Now you have 74 again. This beats 40 by 34 and gives you +17. You take a -12 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at +5 from your first roll.

You have 70 this time. You beat 40 by 30 and get +15. You take a -16 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at -1 from your first roll.

You beat 40 by 24 with 64 and get +12 and a -20 (-8 total). Here you start to see your stacking Avalanche penalties adding up as your Akodo's Technique becomes less and less useful.

57 attack, beats by 17, gains +9, loses -24, net -15
50 attack, beats by 10, gains +5, loses -28, net -23
42 attack, beats by 2, gains +1, loses -32, net -31
34 attack, loses by 6; end chain.

Here you have 8 attacks and this is assuming a very tough opponent.

Against opponents (such as the 16 touch AC enemy assumed in the Meditant build, you'll be gaining +25 on your second attack (+21 net), +35 on the third attack (+27 net), +38 on the fourth attack (+26 net), +38 on the fifth attack (+22 net), +36 on the sixth attack (+20 net), +35 on the seventh attack (+15 net), +32 on the eighth attack (+8 net), +29 on the ninth attack (+1 net), +25 on the tenth attack (-7 net), +21 on the eleventh attack (-15 net), +17 on the twelfth attack (-23 net), +13 on the thirteenth attack (-31 net), +9 on the fourteenth attack (-39 net), +5 on the fifteenth attack (-47 net), +1 on the sixteenth attack (-55 net), MISS; END CHAIN.

Here you land sixteen successful touch attacks.

The Meditant, using 65 attack, follows this attack progression:
65, 61, 57, 53, 49, 45, 41, 37, 33, 29, 25, 21, 17, MISS; END CHAIN.
The Meditant hits 13 times. This is three less hits. With combat rhythm, this is 15 less initial damage. Using Diamond Nightmare Blade, this is 60 less damage.

Thus, Akodo's Technique adds 60 damage against the sample opponent in the Meditant thread.

Additionally, if you forgo using Combat Rhythm and simply make powerful attacks, such as using Avalanche of Blades with Iaijutsu Focus in round 1 of combat before your opponent has acted or a surprise round, you gain three additional hits. Each hit carries "10d6 + (10xCharisma Modifier)" damage with it (assuming Power Attack - Iaijutsu and Iaijutsu Master 5). This translates to 30d6+(30xCharisma Modifier) extra damage. With a reasonable Charisma Modifier of even as low as 5, this becomes 30d6+150 more damage (yes, I realize some builds are capable of billions, trillions, or even infinite damage, but the Meditant - which I find this to be closely related to - is in the mere hundreds).

And since the Meditant seems to have some leeway with its feats (Instant Clarity, Vital Recovery), it seems fit that it might incorporate such a simple way to increase its number of hits.

Also note that the higher your attack does get, the higher your bonuses go, meaning you get more hits in. Thus, use-activated items of True Strike [at DM approval, of course, and probably a fair bit of gold], Arcane Duelist levels, Arcane Strike [since it affects all attacks made in the round], etc. all provide amazing benefits (though Arcane Strike is limited in uses/day by your spell levels).

I'm sure there are also much more powerful (in terms of damage) ways to use this feat. I have a particular affinity for the Meditant, however, and could not help but notice the synergy when I read this feat.

Reference:
Meditant: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=761366&highlight=meditant
#2
archerpwr
Mar 24, 2008 19:08:22 Didn't I find a post exactly like this a while back? In any case, it is good.
#3
bozwevial
Mar 24, 2008 20:08:50 Avalanche of Blades uses normal AC, not touch AC.

Or are you using Stormguard Warrior in there somewhere?
#4
archerpwr
Mar 24, 2008 20:11:47
Avalanche of Blades uses normal AC, not touch AC.

Or are you using Stormguard Warrior in there somewhere?

He referenced the meditant, didn't he?
#5
Blade2718
Mar 24, 2008 21:10:32
Interesting stuff

Link the Meditant too, as a favor to the readers. I love how new stuff is still popping up, even with the imminent arrival of 4E.
#6
bozwevial
Mar 25, 2008 11:02:59
He referenced the meditant, didn't he?

Oh, yeah...Deep Impact. Whoops.

It is a nice find, and yes, it is nice to see that we still haven't run out of tricks.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Nox_Noctis Mar 24, 2008 19:06:35	Those of you that own Rokugan Campaign Setting, please open your books to page 48. There is a feat called "Akodo's Technique." Read it. Now, most of us know the fun of Avalanche of Blades and Combat Rhythm (since I assume those that are here bothering to view this thread are those interested in martial maneuvers and the like). You make melee touch attacks until you miss at a cumulative -4 penalty per attack. Where does Akodo's Technique fit in? Every time you land a hit (with your touch attacks), you get half the difference between your attack roll and their touch AC added to your next attack. Let us assume the enemy has an amazing Touch AC of 40. Builds such as the Meditant easily get 65 or so attack (more if you use custom items or gestalt where Arcane Duelist's Dexterous Attack doubles your base attack bonus - perfect considering Avalanche of Blades is used in conjunction with Combat Rhythm, so damage isn't the primary concern this round anyway). Now, regularly, this would mean you get 7 or so attacks that land (and this is assuming a creature with fairly phenomenal touch armor class). If you add Akodo's Technique, your first hit lands at 65. You beat the AC by 25. You add 13 to your next roll and subtract 4. Your next roll is made at +9 from your first roll. You have 74. This beats 40. It beats it by 34. This gives you +17. You take a -8 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at +9 from your first roll. Now you have 74 again. This beats 40 by 34 and gives you +17. You take a -12 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at +5 from your first roll. You have 70 this time. You beat 40 by 30 and get +15. You take a -16 penalty this time. Your next roll is made at -1 from your first roll. You beat 40 by 24 with 64 and get +12 and a -20 (-8 total). Here you start to see your stacking Avalanche penalties adding up as your Akodo's Technique becomes less and less useful. 57 attack, beats by 17, gains +9, loses -24, net -15 50 attack, beats by 10, gains +5, loses -28, net -23 42 attack, beats by 2, gains +1, loses -32, net -31 34 attack, loses by 6; end chain. Here you have 8 attacks and this is assuming a very tough opponent. Against opponents (such as the 16 touch AC enemy assumed in the Meditant build, you'll be gaining +25 on your second attack (+21 net), +35 on the third attack (+27 net), +38 on the fourth attack (+26 net), +38 on the fifth attack (+22 net), +36 on the sixth attack (+20 net), +35 on the seventh attack (+15 net), +32 on the eighth attack (+8 net), +29 on the ninth attack (+1 net), +25 on the tenth attack (-7 net), +21 on the eleventh attack (-15 net), +17 on the twelfth attack (-23 net), +13 on the thirteenth attack (-31 net), +9 on the fourteenth attack (-39 net), +5 on the fifteenth attack (-47 net), +1 on the sixteenth attack (-55 net), MISS; END CHAIN. Here you land sixteen successful touch attacks. The Meditant, using 65 attack, follows this attack progression: 65, 61, 57, 53, 49, 45, 41, 37, 33, 29, 25, 21, 17, MISS; END CHAIN. The Meditant hits 13 times. This is three less hits. With combat rhythm, this is 15 less initial damage. Using Diamond Nightmare Blade, this is 60 less damage. Thus, Akodo's Technique adds 60 damage against the sample opponent in the Meditant thread. Additionally, if you forgo using Combat Rhythm and simply make powerful attacks, such as using Avalanche of Blades with Iaijutsu Focus in round 1 of combat before your opponent has acted or a surprise round, you gain three additional hits. Each hit carries "10d6 + (10xCharisma Modifier)" damage with it (assuming Power Attack - Iaijutsu and Iaijutsu Master 5). This translates to 30d6+(30xCharisma Modifier) extra damage. With a reasonable Charisma Modifier of even as low as 5, this becomes 30d6+150 more damage (yes, I realize some builds are capable of billions, trillions, or even infinite damage, but the Meditant - which I find this to be closely related to - is in the mere hundreds). And since the Meditant seems to have some leeway with its feats (Instant Clarity, Vital Recovery), it seems fit that it might incorporate such a simple way to increase its number of hits. Also note that the higher your attack does get, the higher your bonuses go, meaning you get more hits in. Thus, use-activated items of True Strike [at DM approval, of course, and probably a fair bit of gold], Arcane Duelist levels, Arcane Strike [since it affects all attacks made in the round], etc. all provide amazing benefits (though Arcane Strike is limited in uses/day by your spell levels). I'm sure there are also much more powerful (in terms of damage) ways to use this feat. I have a particular affinity for the Meditant, however, and could not help but notice the synergy when I read this feat. Reference: Meditant: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=761366&highlight=meditant
#2 archerpwr Mar 24, 2008 19:08:22	Didn't I find a post exactly like this a while back? In any case, it is good.
#3 bozwevial Mar 24, 2008 20:08:50	Avalanche of Blades uses normal AC, not touch AC. Or are you using Stormguard Warrior in there somewhere?
#4 archerpwr Mar 24, 2008 20:11:47	Avalanche of Blades uses normal AC, not touch AC. Or are you using Stormguard Warrior in there somewhere? He referenced the meditant, didn't he?
#5 Blade2718 Mar 24, 2008 21:10:32	Interesting stuff Link the Meditant too, as a favor to the readers. I love how new stuff is still popping up, even with the imminent arrival of 4E.
#6 bozwevial Mar 25, 2008 11:02:59	He referenced the meditant, didn't he? Oh, yeah...Deep Impact. Whoops. It is a nice find, and yes, it is nice to see that we still haven't run out of tricks.