Champion's Might (3.5e Martial Discipline)

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Author: T.G. Oskar (talk) Date Created: January 23, 2013 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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This ancestral school contains maneuvers developed by paladins and blackguards using Devoted Spirit, combining their native abilities with maneuvers. Being designed for paladins and clerics, they have different requirements than other maneuvers, and require the use of smites and daily uses of turn undead

The Ancestral School of Champion's Might

The ancestral school known as Champion’s Might has its roots on a small monastic order of clerics, crusaders and paladins that practiced the discipline of Devoted Spirit. The basis of the school consists of two main aspects; one, to enhance the power of supernatural attacks, and two, to draw from the power of supernatural attacks to create new maneuvers. Because of this, virtually all maneuvers and stances of Champion’s Might require the abilities to smite (such as the smite evil ability of the paladin, the smite good ability of the blackguard, or the smite ability of the crusader and the cleric with the Destruction domain) and the ability to channel positive or negative energy to turn or rebuke undead.

Because smites are usually abilities usable a few times per day, and virtually all maneuvers require the use of smite, a character using Champion’s Might maneuvers gain one extra smite for every readied Champion’s Might strike, boost or counter that requires expending a smite. A character maximum amount of smites per day is equal to its base number of smites by means of class features, feats, and maneuvers readied at the moment it regains smites; the character may not regain expended uses of smite per day (with some exceptions) by exchanging readied maneuvers, and smites gained by means of readied Champion’s Might maneuvers are always expended first. This benefit does not apply to smites regained after each encounter.

Difference between Ancestral Schools and Disciplines

The ancestral school is a variant of one of the existing disciplines, but behaves in many ways as a discipline proper. By definition, "ancestral schools" act like the different styles of a same martial art (such as Shotokan Karate, Shitō-ryū Karate, Gōjū-ryū Karate, etc.), teaching the basics of the primary discipline; however, unlike the different styles of martial arts, ancestral schools teach an entire new set of maneuvers (not merely variants of maneuvers). Maneuvers thought by ancestral schools share some traits of their parent discipline (or disciplines, as some ancestral schools are hybrids of two different disciplines), but each school has a specific trait that makes it distinctive. Some ancestral schools specialize in one aspect of the discipline, others offer an alternative approach to the key aspects of the discipline, and others require specific traits (such as racial or class features) to execute the maneuvers.

In game terms, ancestral schools offer a completely new set of maneuvers and stances. Due to their connection to a discipline (or disciplines, in certain occasions), maneuvers of the ancestral school qualify as maneuvers of the primary discipline. To gain maneuvers from ancestral schools, the character must choose the corresponding ancestral school feat. "Ancestral school" feats work as Martial Study feats, granting a free maneuver from the ancestral school, a benefit appropriate to the school, and grants the ability to choose maneuvers and stances from the ancestral school whenever the character has access to maneuvers from its primary discipline. A character may also learn maneuvers and stances from ancestral schools by means of the Martial Study and Martial Stance feats, but this doesn't allow the ability to learn additional maneuvers as the "ancestral school" feats allow; being based off primary disciplines, gaining one of these maneuvers through the Martial Study feat grants the primary discipline's key skill as a class skill, instead of offering its own.

Because ancestral schools are not fully developed disciplines, they lack a legacy weapon (though that doesn't mean a character can't found a legacy weapon based off them), and lack a signature tactical feat. Items granting maneuvers from ancestral schools are largely unknown; the DM is free to determine if magic items from their primary disciplines can be reworked to offer maneuvers from their ancestral schools, if desired.

Game Mechanics of the Crusader's Might

Available To: None (requires the Anointed Champion feat)

Discipline Skill: Intimidate (Cha)

Discipline Weapons: As Devoted Spirit discipline 

Saves: 10 + maneuver level + Strength or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher 

Special: Treat maneuvers or stances from Champion’s Might as if they were Devoted Spirit maneuvers for purposes of qualifying for new maneuvers or stances.

Maneuvers of the Champion's Might Ancestral School

To see the full, expanded description of every maneuver, click here.

1st-Level Maneuvers

• Baneful Smite: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Will save or take -1 penalty on attack rolls and saving throws against fear
• Blessed Smite: Strike [see text] — Smite deals an extra 1d6 points of damage; automatically confirms critical threats
• Martial Faith: Stance — Add initiator level to damage from smite.
• Sealed Judgment: Stance — Smite is not expended on failed attack roll

2nd-Level Maneuvers

• Avenging Strike: Counter — Expend smite attempt to gain attack of opportunity.
• Dazing Smite: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Will save or become dazed for 1 round/4 initiator levels.
• Glorious Weapons: Boost [Evil or Good] — Consume a use of turn/rebuke undead to treat weapon as holy/unholy for 1 round

3rd-Level Maneuvers

• Accursed Smite: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Will save or take -4 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks
• Blinding Smite: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Reflex save or become blinded for 1 round/4 initiator levels
• Martial Smite: Strike — Deal smite damage with normal attack

4th-Level Maneuvers

• Destructive Smite: Strike — Smite deals double damage plus an extra 3d6; automatically confirms critical threats
• Purifying Strike: Boost — Consume a use of a turning ability to gain a bonus on attack rolls equal to turning check and extra damage based on turning damage on creatures otherwise turned.

5th-Level Maneuvers

• Exploding Smite: Strike — Deal smite damage to all opponents within 30 ft.; effect is based on smite.
• Sigil of Judgment: Stance — Extend effect of smite for several rounds
• Stunning Smite: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Will save or become stunned for 1 round + 1 round/4 IL

6th-Level Maneuvers

• Avenging Oath: Counter — Regain smite attempt when suffering melee attack
• Sacrificial Smite: Strike — Smite deals 1d6 points of extra damage per every 5 hit points sacrificed, up to 1d6/2 initiator levels.

7th-Level Maneuvers

• Disrupting Strike: Strike — Consume a use of turn undead to force an undead creature to succeed on Fortitude save or die
• Empowering Smite: Strike — Replace smite damage into healing energy for all allies within 30 ft.
• Necrotic Blade: Boost — Consume a use of rebuke undead to deal extra negative energy damage equal to rebuking damage

8th-Level Maneuvers

• Divine Conviction: Stance — Deal extra damage equal to smite damage with each melee attack.
• Smite of Divine Wrath: Strike [see text] — Deal double smite damage to all opponents within 30 ft. and impose -4 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, AC and saves; effect is based on smite

9th-Level Maneuvers

• Final Judgment: Strike — Creature affected by smite must succeed on Fortitude save or be destroyed.

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