The Feats of Eden I: Weapons

Posted: August 31, 2009 | Author: Dennis N. Santana | Filed under: D&D 4e, Homebrew, Houserules, RPG, Spirits Of Eden |1 Comment »

New material is actually coming soon, I promise. Until then though, here’s a bit of story. The Feats of Eden page has actually undergone a hell of a lot of occluded work the past few weeks. Because it was never posted as a separate post, thus never showed on the network (it’s a page) or on the front page, it’s gone by with a whimper basically.

Until I’m set to unveil some new stuff, I will post selections from the Feats of Eden page, so people can find out that, yes, there is a Feats of Eden page, and holy crap, it is utterly massive! We’ll also get to see some developer commentary from me, because you can’t get enough of that stuff, I know.

The weapons feats of Eden were designed to sort of add a bit of spice to those encounter and daily powers used with weapons, and to give weapons a distinct different feel all throughout the level range. At the heroic tier, only the Fighter really sees a huge difference in his weapon choice, due to the Weapon clauses in his powers. I wanted to give not just the Fighter, but everyone else also, a few more weapon tricks.

You’ll notice that none of them specifically help out At-Will power usage. That’s because I personally dislike the trend of making At-Will powers attractive. I think they’re already quite attractive enough in that you can use them whenever you want and all of them are generally miles ahead of a Basic Attack. So generally when I write a feat, it will not try to make At-Will powers attractive. I don’t see the appeal or balance in easily improving a power you can always use without spending resources.

Instead what it does is make Encounter powers and Daily powers stronger, so that while they last, and while you have some around, you can pull off these tricks, so you are encouraged to spend resources rather than hoarding them for an appropriate moment and spamming At-Will attacks. This is just a personal choice.

I see Encounter and Daily Attacks as being the legendary “named techniques” of a combatant that should be the ones getting the most focus and seeing the most use. I try to make them more attractive in this way.

Most Eden feats really go above and beyond, probably, what a weapon should reasonably do. I’m not trying for realism at all, but rather a fun and exciting combat experience, where you imagine these characters fighting with such precision and strength. Kind of like a wuxia film, with exaggerated levels of skill and ability. All of these are based on my Eden setting, so I designed them with that in mind, rather than with cross-portability to, say, Eberron or something.

Precise Sword Arm
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Heavy Blade, you can target the Reflex defense instead of AC. If you are making an attack against the Reflex defense, you can instead gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first one targets the Reflex defense.

Sweeping Blade
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Whenever you make an attack with an encounter or daily power that would knock the target prone using a Heavy Blade, you have a +1 bonus to the damage roll.

Iaido Training
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: You have a +1 bonus to damage rolls on the first round of combat with heavy blades. If you miss an attack with a heavy blade during the first round of combat, you deal 1[W] damage to the target of that attack as Miss damage.

Wounding Blade
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a light blade, the attack gives the target ongoing 3 damage (save ends). If you are making multiple attacks, you can choose which of the successful attacks inflicts this condition.

Droplet of Steel
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, you can give up the benefit of combat advantage that you have against one creature to make a basic attack against it with a dagger or sickle as a minor action.

Bloodthirsty Axe
Prerequisite(s): Str 13, Con 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with an Axe, you can reroll any result of 3 or less on the damage die of your Axe. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first one gets this benefit.

Falling Axe Style
Prerequisite(s): Str 13
Benefit: Whenever you attack a prone or immobilized target with an Axe using an encounter or daily power, you have a +1 bonus to the attack roll.

Snaking Staff
Prerequisite(s): Wis 13
Benefit:  Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with the Weapon keyword using a quarterstaff, if the attack would normally target only one creature it becomes a Close Burst 1 that targets each enemy in the burst you can see. You grant combat advantage to each enemy you attack this way. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first one gains this benefit. If the attack was already a Close Burst 1 attack, it deals extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier instead.

Defensive Staff
Prerequisite: Wis 13, proficient with the quarterstaff
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to AC and Reflex defense while wielding a quarterstaff as a Weapon.

Extended Staff Style
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Str 13, proficient with the quarterstaff
Benefit: When making attacks with encounter or daily powers that have the Weapon keyword with a quarterstaff, the quarterstaff gains the Reach property.

Retributive Staff Fighting
Prerequisite: Wis 15, proficient with the quarterstaff, 11th level
Benefit: Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you that would grab you, knock you prone or stun you, it takes 2 + your wisdom modifier damage.

Debilitating Mace
Prerequisite(s): Con 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Mace, if you successfully hit, the target is weakened until the start of your next turn. If you are making multiple attacks or attacking multiple targets, only the first attack or one target of your choice gets the condition.

Bonecrushing Arm
Prerequisite(s): Con 13
Benefit: Whenever a creature you can see is struck with a critical hit, you have a +4 feat bonus to damage against it until the end of your next turn with a Hammer, Mace or Unarmed Attack.

Martial Arts Training
Benefit: You become proficient with your unarmed attack. It is treated as a one-handed weapon of the Unarmed group that deals 1d8 damage and has a +2 proficiency bonus to attack rolls. It has the Off-Hand property as long as you have a hand free. You can enchant and disenchant your unarmed attack as you would a regular weapon. In addition, you can choose Hammer, Mace or Light Blade and your unarmed attack gains that weapon group in addition to the “unarmed” weapon group.

Versatile Fist
Prerequisite(s): Wis 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with an Unarmed attack, if the attack successfully hits, you push or slide the target 1 square and knock it prone. If the attack already pushes or slides a target, it pushes or slides the target 1 extra square, and if it already knocks the target prone, the attack has a +2 bonus to damage.

Acrobatic Kick
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13, Wis 15, trained in Athletics or Acrobatics
Benefit: Whenever you spend an action point to take an extra action and use that action to make a melee daily attack, you deal extra damage equal to your Unarmed Attack damage dice with a successful hit with that attack.

Flurrying Fists
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13, Wis 15, 11th level
Benefit: Once per encounter, you can make a basic attack with your unarmed attack as a minor action on the same turn in which you successfully attacked an enemy with your unarmed attack using an encounter or daily power.

Monastic Weapon Training
Prerequisite: Proficiency with the mace and quarterstaff.
Benefit: You treat the unarmed attack, mace and quarterstaff as +3 proficiency weapons. In addition, you have a +1 bonus to damage rolls when making encounter or daily attacks with these weapons.

Gutting Pick
Prerequisite(s): Con 13, Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Pick that has combat advantage against an enemy, you deal 1[W] extra damage and half damage if you miss. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first one gains this benefit.

Punishing Flail
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Flail, if you successfully hit, you can make a basic attack with the flail against an adjacent enemy other than the target of your attack as a free action.

Meteoric Hammer
Prerequisite(s): Con 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a hammer, you knock prone the target and one creature adjacent to you after the attack.

Cometary Advantage
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13 or Con 13
Benefit: When making an encounter or daily attack with a Hammer, Pick or Flail against a target that is slowed or immobilized, you have combat advantage against the target. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first one gains this benefit.

Savage Opening
Prerequisite(s): Con 13, Dex 13
Benefit: During the first round of combat, your attacks encounter or daily attacks with Hammers, Flails or Picks target the Fortitude defense instead of the AC defense. If using an attack that already targeted the Fortitude defense, it instead has a +1 bonus to damage.

Vicious Opportunity
Prerequisite(s): Con 13, Dex 13, 11th level
Benefit: Whenever you make an opportunity attack against a creature with a Pick or Flail, it takes a -2 penalty to AC or a -1 penalty to all non-AC defenses (your choice when you make the opportunity attack) until the end of your next turn.

Tip of the Polearm
Prerequisite(s): Wis 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Polearm, you have 1 added square of reach until the end of your next turn.

Thundering Spear
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter on your turn, you can make a light or heavy thrown ranged basic attack (your choice) with a Spear at a range of 5 squares. If you hit, you also deal half the total damage to each creature adjacent to the target.

Flying Spear Training
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13, Wis 13
Benefit: You treat Spears and Polearms as +3 proficiency weapons. If you are wielding a Spear with a Close Burst 1 Daily power that has the Weapon Keyword, it becomes a Close Burst 2.

Impaling Sprint
Prerequisite(s): Str 15, Dex 13, Wis 13
Benefit: Your encounter or daily attacks with spears or polearms against dazed, stunned or immobilized enemies deal extra damage equal to your wisdom modifier.

Spear Mobility
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, you can shift 1 square as a minor action after making a successful encounter or daily attack power with a Spear or Polearm. You have a +1 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn after this shift.

Deft Shot
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: Once per encounter, when making an encounter or daily attack with a Bow or Crossbow, you have combat advantage against the target and a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Trained Shooter
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: You treat the hand crossbow as a +3 proficiency weapon.

Blade and Bolt Style
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13, proficient with the Hand Crossbow
Benefit: The Hand Crossbow gains the Off-Hand property if you wield it while you have a melee weapon in your main hand. You can reload your hand crossbow as a free action even if you wield it this way. You have a +1 bonus to damage rolls with both weapons if wielding them this way.

Executioner Shot
Prerequisite(s): Dex 13
Benefit: When making an attack with a Bow or Crossbow against an adjacent enemy that you have combat advantage against using an encounter or daily power, you do not draw an opportunity attack and you have a +2 bonus to your damage roll. If you are making multiple attacks, only the first attack receives the bonus to its damage roll.

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