Yogah's New Feats

[Yogah of Yag]

"His barbaric soul was ablaze, and the chants of old heros were singing in his ears." ("The Phoenix on the Sword", Part V, DelRey, p. 21)

New Feat: Singer of Epic Chants
You can sing an Epic Chant of great heroes, and your audience may later call upon their memories of your performance to bolster their spirits when in the thick of battle.

Prerequisites: Cha 18, Perform (song, chant, etc.) 15 ranks, at least 1 audience member with Wis 12.

If a Perform (song, chant, etc.) check DC 25 is successful, you have sung a marvelous tale of brave deeds and mighty heroes' accomplishments to an enrapt audience.

New Feat: Memory of the Epic Chant
Some songs, relating the doughty deeds of heros past, can bolster one's spirits in combat.

Prerequisites: BAB 10+, Must have heard an Epic Chant in the past, Wis 12, in melee combat with at least twenty combatants and with no adjacent allies.

Provides +1 morale bonus to all attacks, damage dealt, as well as saves. Wisdom Check DC 10 to remember.

1) If result 5 or more over DC: +2 to all ATT, DAM, SAV, and +1 to Dodge and Parry.

2) If result 10 or more over DC: +4 to ATT, DAM, SAV; +2 to Dodge and Parry, and one-time automatic DR bonus of 1/-.

The outcomes #1 and #2 above do not stack with the original +1 morale bonus.
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This is my first crack at creating feats. If it has been covered in an earlier publication, my early apologies. The phrase "chants of old heroes" is obviously semantically ambiguous...

 

[Castel]

How about...

"Epic chant"-You sing of great old heros, and epic battles... giving courage, and strength to you and your allies

Prerequisites: CHA 13 WIS 13, perform (sing) 10 ranks

Once per day as a fullround action you may sing an Epic song, providing, +1 moral bonus to attack, DV and will saves.
This effect lasts for (WIS mod) rounds, and affects you and allies in a (CHA mod x 10feet) radius.

What do you think?

 

[Yogah of Yag]

Firstly, I based these proposed Feats on passages from "The Phoenix on the Sword."

a) Conan was alone in his bedchamber (no allies), and
b) he was surrounded by at least 20 conspirators ("In, rogues!" yelled the outlaw. "He is one to twenty and he has no helmet!" p. 20).

You make it sound like you can sing a song in a single round. Epics are VERY LONG and probably cannot be sung on the spot in a brief amount of time as a full-round action (1 round=6 seconds, right?).

Conan's back was to the wall, he had no one to help, so he leapt in, not being a "defensive fighter." Somehow, somewhere in his mind, old songs (=chants) of heroism came to him, inflaming his warrior-spirit.

 

[Castel]

I just meant to help... and i don´t think that a feat that only makes others better, and that has a need of 18 Cha, it´s not going to be very used...
And them a Feat that only works when you´re sorounded by 20 enemys doesnt sound that good... well, if they are week thats no problem... but if they are high level you´re dead even if it gave you +10...

Yes I understood, the ideia of using that passage as an ispiration for a feat, and i quite like the ideia, but just make it for a fighter to remember one epic song of his past, making a wisdom check when he is sorrounded by five or more enemys or other frigthinning or dificult situation.

 

[Baal-Pteor]

How about making them both stunts? Like a combat manoeuvre, but for a non-combat situation. If you meet the prereqs and make your roll you can pull it off. Doesn't seem too powerful even if they don't require a feat as the prereqs are pretty hard.

 

[Oly]

Have you seen the Jolly Chants and Pirate Chants feats from the Pirate Isles book? The latter one in particular gives a +1 attack and skill bonus to those that can hear it.

 

[Castel]

Actually i know that, and i inspired myself in that feat, but then, you can only use it in sea battle and in bording manouvers... so it has no use in land... (i think...)

I think that something like this was needed, or something more like a character remembering a old Epic song to help him conquer is enemys... like Yogah of Yag proposed...

Oh and i wanted to say that you "begin" to sing an epic song in the full round action, and the effects lasts for Wis mod rounds, the time the epic song endures is GM descrition.
About time taken, well "Do you know who i am" the noble class ability takes a full round action, and in that time the noble declares his family name, title etc... and may take as much as an epic song...

Keep up brainstorming for good ideas...

 

[Yogah of Yag]

Have you seen the Jolly Chants and Pirate Chants feats from the Pirate Isles book? The latter one in particular gives a +1 attack and skill bonus to those that can hear it.

I will look into it.

 

[GimpCowKing]

i like the idea, but it doesnt seem as useful as it could be. memory of the chant could be used just fine as is, a warrior of almost any background could very easily come across legends of old and gain inspriration from it.

the chant itself seems like you have to do a lot of work for not much of an effect. perhaps base it around the standard d&d bardic music ability, where you give your allies additional attk and dmg advantatages per round you manage to keep it up. maybe use a concentration check and a perform sheck to retain it.

it would really help the courtesean non combative nobles some of you were talking about not too long ago. it would also make an effective ability for anyone with the leadership feat and scholars that used all their powerpoints.

make the requirements lower, like a 14 cha and wis and maybe a dc20 to use that increases bonuses by 1 for every 5 points over, and the con check should be dms discretion depending on how intense the battle is

 

[Yogah of Yag]

Have you seen the Jolly Chants and Pirate Chants feats from the Pirate Isles book? The latter one in particular gives a +1 attack and skill bonus to those that can hear it.

Pirate Chants (p. 45, column A, Pirate Isles) as a model is a bit restrictive. One must be Argossean racially. I'm not a fan of racially-limiting mechanics unless ABSOLUTELY required, due to REH source-material.

Secondly, according to the description it must be performed DURING a boarding manoeuvre or action. Now, to me, it would be difficult to do this during such events, as well as over the natural din of the sea. I do remember the sea well enough to know that it is NOISY. Only in artificial pirate movies where they film on a mock-up of a ship on a sound-stage is the "sea" relatively quiet. Also, it would be hard to sing or chant over the loud Erich Korngold soundscore! :lol: Additionally, the crew is going to be focused on the enemy's activities--too busy to listen to any chanting.

There should be something called "Rousing Speech" were the Captain (e.g. Lucky Jack Aubrey) addresses his men belowdecks, telling them that the Surprise is England herself, and that the Frenchmen of the Acheron are going to be in a world of hurt. This is delivered before the engagement and not just as, or during.

When I first read about Pirate Chants and Jolly Chants, I naturally was envisioning one of the crew singing a Sea Shanty, like "Paradise Street" (="YO, HO, Blow the Man Down!") in order to help his mates at the main halyard or work at the capstan, as they weighed anchor. I.e. not really a combat-related incitement.

 

[Yogah of Yag]

Here's a couple of links on shanties to wet your whistle:

http://www.stormy.ca/marine/shanties.html
http://www.sailorschoice.com/shanty/about.htm

The version of Paradise Street that I remember is a little different, but I'm sure there were hundreds of versions.

 

[Oly]

There should be something called "Rousing Speech" were the Captain (e.g. Lucky Jack Aubrey) addresses his men belowdecks, telling them that the Surprise is England herself, and that the Frenchmen of the Acheron are going to be in a world of hurt. This is delivered before the engagement and not just as, or during.

The Star Wars RPG introduced two class features for the noble that might be of help here....

The first one is gained at level 2. If allies spend a whole round listening to the noble talking they gain +2 to saving throws and +1 to attacks for 5 rounds. The noble can only do this once per day for every four levels that they have and it doesn't work on themselves.

At 11th level Inspire Greatness arrives. It only affects one person, not the noble, and gives +2d6 vitality (hit) points, +2 to attacks and +2 to saves. Once again it's very limited in how often per day you can do it.

Anyway they might give some inspiration?

It also shows roughly how powerful such feats in D20 usually are. Many feats give +1 to a certain weapon, a feat that is very likely to give +1 (or more) to all weapons with few restrictions is probably a bit much. I think that's why Pirate Chants is so restrictive, otherwise it weapon focus wouldn't be worth taking. I'm not saying the pre-reqs you've given are too low, just that they do need to be given careful thought.

 

[Mark Dunder]

What Feat do you use for something like; "Remember the Alamo!"

"Patriotic Cry," perhaps? It's does envoke a memory of heroic actions or sacrifices, and does inspire the troops and leaders alike. Also, you can use a past campaign to remember this way.

You will have to forgive a lot of my comments, I have not yet played your game system, but I do like all these good ideas.

 

[GimpCowKing]

What Feat do you use for something like; "Remember the Alamo!"

"Patriotic Cry," perhaps? It's does envoke a memory of heroic actions or sacrifices, and does inspire the troops and leaders alike. Also, you can use a past campaign to remember this way.

You will have to forgive a lot of my comments, I have not yet played your game system, but I do like all these good ideas.

leadership, and a REALLY good diplomacy check to your guys. followed by a battle cry and a charge for dramatic effect

 

[Castel]

lol... "Remenber the Alamo"... good one...

You´ve got to try our game system dunderm, it´s a must.

Actually Yogah of Yag had a great idea of using a feat inspired in a conan, but i didn´t like "singer of epic chants", no need for that...
"Memory of the Epic Chant" is quite good, but having more than 20 enemys just to much, having more than 5 is more reasonable.
Also i think that there sould be a feat that would enable you in combat or mass combat to sing one of these songs and give you Courage and STR.

How about this...

"Song of the brave"
You unleash your ancestors fury by singing one of the songs from old times.

Prerequisites: perform (Song) 10 ranks, Hyborian decendant (Aquilonian, Zingarian, Chorintian and alike)

Once per day, in your 1st round of a combat, you are able to start singing one of the old chants of mithic heroes of the past.
As a fullround action you begin to sing, DC (20), if you pass it by 5 or more other allied hyborian descendants who hear you, may also do a DC (15) perform (song) check as a free action.

The ones who are able sing the song gain +4 to STR and +4 to Wis, (using this in mass combat grants your unit a +2 bonus to MC)

The song lasts until the end of the battle, if you are hit you must make a concentration check, if you fail these bonusses end.

Ok probably a bit too powerfull, but it would be fun, and yes i´m considering Zingarian Hyborian descendants...

In Mediavel times there were 2 things that made a battle soldier a great battle soldier, being drunk, or being motivated.
So there is also space for a feat focussed in Drunkness.

(My apologies to mongoose for the not so clever post, but then... were just brainstorming)

 

[Mark Dunder]

Actually, Conan does do some chanting while fighting. He has to stop, because he needs to concentrate on fighting, and he's breathing too hard to keep up the singing very well.

I think any kind of feat like these, can only work right before a battle. You can't do it very well while fighting, I think.

But, if your group has just been thrashed in a fight, and they are regrouping for another round, I think something inspiring needs to be said, just for moral.

But a lot of adventurers come from diverse backgrounds and they may not share the same songs or know the same chants. So getting the group to first hear the chant and have them remember it, would be a must, I think.

I think that singing and chanting is part of going into battle. During battle, it's just a little hard to do.