Take the Hit Feat

On Feb 19, 2:45 am, "webhed" <jre... DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Just something I thought up since every once in a while the players of
> fighters in my campaign want to know if they can jump in the way of
> the oncoming attack on their wizard friend. What do you all think?

The Knight class in PHB II has this option as one of the class
fetures.

At a certain level, you get the option to take 1/2 of the damage that
an ally takes. At a higher level, you get to take 100% of the damage.
IDHTBIFOM right now, so I can't give you more details than that.

Marcel
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

At 18 Feb 2007 23:45:36 -0800, webhed wrote:

> Just something I thought up since every once in a while the players of
> fighters in my campaign want to know if they can jump in the way of
> the oncoming attack on their wizard friend. What do you all think?
>
>
> Take the Hit
> This combat maneuver allows you to jump in the way of an attack
> against one of your allies.
>
> Choose an ally. As long as you are within 5' of that ally, you may
> ready an action to step into the path of an attack (ranged or melee)
> against that ally. You state that you are going to attempt to take
> the hit and when an opponent attacks your designated ally you may
> choose to take your readied action. Note that you and your ally do not
> change positions, nor do you move between your ally and an opponent,
> in fact, you do not move at all, no one does, you just attempt to take
> the hit while remaining in your current space. If you choose to take
> this readied action then the opponents attack is made against your
> flat-footed armor class.

I don't think it's attractive enough.

Basically, to protect an ally, you need to be doing nothing else, since
readying is a standard action. Most characters could be more useful if
they actually moved in front of the ally, granting him cover for +4 to
AC and attacked the enemy (or buffed the party or something).

How about requiring Combat Reflexes and letting you take an attack
intended for an ally as an AoO once per round?


--
Jasin Zujovic
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Feb 19, 10:34 am, Lorenz.L....TakeThisOut@gmx.de wrote:
> On Feb 19, 8:45 am, "webhed" <jre....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Sounds too weak for a feat or is it meant as a special move action?

Sorry, somewhere in the process of posting it I got confused and
forgot I intended it to be a combat action, and not a Feat, ie, anyone
can do it, for free.
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Feb 19, 10:34 am, Lorenz.L....TakeThisOut@gmx.de wrote:
>
> If nobody attacks your ally, you can't do anything in that round?
>

This is why I post here, to reveal the stupid things I overlooked.
Thanks Ummm... Ok, thats a good point. Lets try this one:

Take the Hit
This combat maneuver allows you to jump in the way of an attack
against one of your allies. If an opponent attacks an ally within 5'
of you (with a melee or ranged attack), as an Immediate Action you may
momentarily push your ally aside or lean in front of the attack,
interposing yourself between your ally and that opponents attack (note
that you and your ally do not move or exchange positions). The attack
roll is made against you instead of your ally and strikes at your Flat-
footed armor class (since you are purposely stepping in the way of the
attack). This action uses an Attack of Opportunity use so you can not
take this action if you have only one Attack of Opportunity and have
already used it. If you use your Attack of Opportunity to Take the
Hit, you can not later use your Attack of Opportunity to strike an
opponent.

Thoughts?
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Feb 20, 8:26 am, "webhed" <jre....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 19, 10:34 am, Lorenz.L....TakeThisOut@gmx.de wrote:
>
>
>
> > If nobody attacks your ally, you can't do anything in that round?
>
> This is why I post here, to reveal the stupid things I overlooked.
> Thanks Ummm... Ok, thats a good point. Lets try this one:
>
> Take the Hit
> This combat maneuver allows you to jump in the way of an attack
> against one of your allies. If an opponent attacks an ally within 5'
> of you (with a melee or ranged attack), as an Immediate Action you may
> momentarily push your ally aside or lean in front of the attack,
> interposing yourself between your ally and that opponents attack (note
> that you and your ally do not move or exchange positions). The attack
> roll is made against you instead of your ally and strikes at your Flat-
> footed armor class (since you are purposely stepping in the way of the
> attack). This action uses an Attack of Opportunity use so you can not
> take this action if you have only one Attack of Opportunity and have
> already used it. If you use your Attack of Opportunity to Take the
> Hit, you can not later use your Attack of Opportunity to strike an
> opponent.
>
> Thoughts?

It should require line of sight to the enemy.
Otherwise ok for a maneuver IMO.

Could be improved through a feat that allows
switching positions and normal AC for example.

LL
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Feb 20, 8:47 am, "Reginald Blue" <Reginald_B....RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Christopher Adams wrote:
> > Marcel Beaudoin wrote:
> >> On Feb 19, 2:45 am, "webhed" <jre....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>> Just something I thought up since every once in a while the players
> >>> of fighters in my campaign want to know if they can jump in the way
> >>> of the oncoming attack on their wizard friend. What do you all
> >>> think?
>
> >> The Knight class in PHB II has this option as one of the class
> >> fetures.
>
> >> At a certain level, you get the option to take 1/2 of the damage that
> >> an ally takes. At a higher level, you get to take 100% of the damage.
> >> IDHTBIFOM right now, so I can't give you more details than that.
>
> > Luckily, it was previewed in its entirety last May:
>
> >http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060501a&page=2
>
> There's also a similar ability in D20 Modern for the bodyguard advanced
> class:
>
> Harm's Way
> Once per round, if the Bodyguard is adjacent to an ally who is targeted by a
> direct melee or ranged attack (but not an area effect), the Bodyguard can
> subject him or herself to the attack in the ally's stead. If the attack hits
> the Bodyguard, he or her takes damage normally. If it misses, it also misses
> the ally.
>
> The Bodyguard must declare his or her intention to place him or herself in
> harm's way before the attack roll is made. The Bodyguard selects his or her
> ally either prior to combat or immediately after the Bodyguard makes his or
> her initiative check. The Bodyguard can't change his or her ally for the
> duration of the combat.

I'd think that the guy jumping in the way should have to make a spot
check of something.
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

Christopher Adams wrote:
> Marcel Beaudoin wrote:
>> On Feb 19, 2:45 am, "webhed" <jre....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Just something I thought up since every once in a while the players
>>> of fighters in my campaign want to know if they can jump in the way
>>> of the oncoming attack on their wizard friend. What do you all
>>> think?
>>
>> The Knight class in PHB II has this option as one of the class
>> fetures.
>>
>> At a certain level, you get the option to take 1/2 of the damage that
>> an ally takes. At a higher level, you get to take 100% of the damage.
>> IDHTBIFOM right now, so I can't give you more details than that.
>
> Luckily, it was previewed in its entirety last May:
>
> http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060501a&page=2

There's also a similar ability in D20 Modern for the bodyguard advanced
class:

Harm's Way
Once per round, if the Bodyguard is adjacent to an ally who is targeted by a
direct melee or ranged attack (but not an area effect), the Bodyguard can
subject him or herself to the attack in the ally's stead. If the attack hits
the Bodyguard, he or her takes damage normally. If it misses, it also misses
the ally.

The Bodyguard must declare his or her intention to place him or herself in
harm's way before the attack roll is made. The Bodyguard selects his or her
ally either prior to combat or immediately after the Bodyguard makes his or
her initiative check. The Bodyguard can't change his or her ally for the
duration of the combat.


--
Reginald Blue
"I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my
telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my
telephone."
- Bjarne Stroustrup (originator of C++) [quoted at the 2003
International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces]
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:39:11 +0100, Jasin Zujovic <jzujovic.TakeThisOut@inet.hr>
wrote:

>I don't think it's attractive enough.
>
>Basically, to protect an ally, you need to be doing nothing else, since
>readying is a standard action. Most characters could be more useful if
>they actually moved in front of the ally, granting him cover for +4 to
>AC and attacked the enemy (or buffed the party or something).
>
>How about requiring Combat Reflexes and letting you take an attack
>intended for an ally as an AoO once per round?

What if it's a caster who needs to be on the front line to cast the
spell?
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

At Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:59:28 -0800, Loren Pechtel wrote:

> >I don't think it's attractive enough.
> >
> >Basically, to protect an ally, you need to be doing nothing else, since
> >readying is a standard action. Most characters could be more useful if
> >they actually moved in front of the ally, granting him cover for +4 to
> >AC and attacked the enemy (or buffed the party or something).
> >
> >How about requiring Combat Reflexes and letting you take an attack
> >intended for an ally as an AoO once per round?
>
> What if it's a caster who needs to be on the front line to cast the
> spell?

I think you could still be more useful by actually doing your thing
rather than just providing extra hit points for the caster.

I guess as a combat action it's OK: I've certainly seen situations where
it could have saved 5,000 gp.

But as a feat, I think it would be useful to rarely to be worth taking.


--
Jasin Zujovic
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 10:09:26 +0100, Jasin Zujovic <jzujovic.DeleteThis@inet.hr>
wrote:

>At Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:59:28 -0800, Loren Pechtel wrote:
>
>> >I don't think it's attractive enough.
>> >
>> >Basically, to protect an ally, you need to be doing nothing else, since
>> >readying is a standard action. Most characters could be more useful if
>> >they actually moved in front of the ally, granting him cover for +4 to
>> >AC and attacked the enemy (or buffed the party or something).
>> >
>> >How about requiring Combat Reflexes and letting you take an attack
>> >intended for an ally as an AoO once per round?
>>
>> What if it's a caster who needs to be on the front line to cast the
>> spell?
>
>I think you could still be more useful by actually doing your thing
>rather than just providing extra hit points for the caster.
>
>I guess as a combat action it's OK: I've certainly seen situations where
>it could have saved 5,000 gp.
>
>But as a feat, I think it would be useful to rarely to be worth taking.

You also keep him from having his spell blown.
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

webhed wrote:
> Just something I thought up since every once in a while the players of
> fighters in my campaign want to know if they can jump in the way of
> the oncoming attack on their wizard friend. What do you all think?
>
>
> Take the Hit
> This combat maneuver allows you to jump in the way of an attack
> against one of your allies.
>
> Choose an ally. As long as you are within 5' of that ally, you may
> ready an action to step into the path of an attack (ranged or melee)
> against that ally. You state that you are going to attempt to take
> the hit and when an opponent attacks your designated ally you may
> choose to take your readied action. Note that you and your ally do not
> change positions, nor do you move between your ally and an opponent,
> in fact, you do not move at all, no one does, you just attempt to take
> the hit while remaining in your current space. If you choose to take
> this readied action then the opponents attack is made against your
> flat-footed armor class.
>

I can't place it exactly, but ISTR reading about something like this in
one of the supplements recently, probably Complete Scoundrel or The Book
of Nine Swords. Did you check those?
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

WDS wrote:
> On Feb 20, 8:47 am, "Reginald Blue" <Reginald_B... DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Christopher Adams wrote:
> > Harm's Way
> > Once per round, if the Bodyguard is adjacent to an ally who is targeted by a
> > direct melee or ranged attack (but not an area effect), the Bodyguard can
> > subject him or herself to the attack in the ally's stead. If the attack hits
> > the Bodyguard, he or her takes damage normally. If it misses, it also misses
> > the ally.
> >
> > The Bodyguard must declare his or her intention to place him or herself in
> > harm's way before the attack roll is made. The Bodyguard selects his or her
> > ally either prior to combat or immediately after the Bodyguard makes his or
> > her initiative check. The Bodyguard can't change his or her ally for the
> > duration of the combat.
>
> I'd think that the guy jumping in the way should have to make a spot
> check of something.

I'd say that you can accomplish this by requiring that the bodyguard
not be flat-footed. I'd also add in the proviso that the target of the
attack cannot be flanked.

Suggestion: Rather than readying an action (which seems like such a
sub-par choice that no one would ever elect to do it) or making it a
feat (since it seems like one of those classic maneuvers that *anyone*
should be allowed to try), make it a maneuver requiring the use of an
attack of opportunity.

This is a mechanic I've been playing with quite a bit -- allowing
attacks of opportunity to be used for other things besides making an
attack of opportunity. Some other mechanics I've been playing with in
the same vein:

PROTECT
If someone within your threatened area is about to make an attack of
opportunity against a target other than yourself, you can use your own
attack of opportunity for the round to prevent them from doing so. You
and the combatant attempting the attack of opportunity each make an
opposed melee attack roll.
If you succeed, you use your attack of opportunity to preoccupy
them and prevent them from taking the attack of opportunity. (This
does not count against the total number of attacks of opportunity they
may take in a round, however, and they may still take an attack of
opportunity later if one is provoked).
If you fail the opposed melee attack roll, they can resolve their
attack of opportunity normally. This counts as an attack of
opportunity for you.
You cannot attempt to prevent an attack of opportunity more than
once, even if you're allowed to make more than one attack of
opportunity in a round (although you may attempt to prevent additional
attacks of opportunity taken later in the round).

FAST FOOTWORK
You can sacrifice your attack of opportunity to take an additional 5
foot step during your turn or as an immediate action at any time. When
taking the full attack action, you can sacrifice one of your attacks
to take an additional 5 foot step.

[This one still needs some work to balance it with Combat Reflexes.
The subsidiary goal here is to make BAB more valuable as a perk for
the fighter classes. I also just realized, as I was typing this, that
the mechanic can be used to avoid attacks. For example, you could wait
for someone to commit to a full attack routine and then 5' step away
from them. Or wait for someone to move up to you and then take the 5'
step. Under a strict reading of the rules, they couldn't follow you
since their movement was already completed. Perhaps something
preventing you from doing this in the middle of another character's
turn, although this defeats most of the intended utility -- ducking
out of the room when a fireball goes off if you're close enough to the
exit, moving to block the doorway when someone tries to run out of the
room, and so forth.]

QUICK DODGE
At any time when you are about to be attacked, you can use an attack
of opportunity to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC as an immediate action.
The dodge bonus is only effective against a single attack. If you can
take multiple attacks of opportunity in a round (through the use of
the Combat Reflexes feat, for example) you can still only gain a
single bonus against one attack, although you can use additional
attacks of opportunity to quick dodge additional attacks.

[This is used in conjunction with the Out-of-Turn Dodge variant from
UA, in which a character can sacrifice their next turn entirely for a
+4 dodge bonus to AC which lasts until they next take action.]

Thus, in this same vein:

INTERVENE
If you are within 5 feet of an ally who is targeted by a direct melee
or ranged attack (but not an area effect), you can use an attack of
opportunity as an immediate action to attempt to take the attack in
your ally's stead. If the attack hits you, you take damage normally.
If it misses, it also misses your ally. You must declare your
intention to place yourself in harm's way before the attack roll is
made.

--
Justin Alexander
http://www.thealexandrian.net
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat 

WDS wrote:
> On Feb 20, 8:47 am, "Reginald Blue" <Reginald_B....DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Christopher Adams wrote:
> > Harm's Way
> > Once per round, if the Bodyguard is adjacent to an ally who is targeted by a
> > direct melee or ranged attack (but not an area effect), the Bodyguard can
> > subject him or herself to the attack in the ally's stead. If the attack hits
> > the Bodyguard, he or her takes damage normally. If it misses, it also misses
> > the ally.
> >
> > The Bodyguard must declare his or her intention to place him or herself in
> > harm's way before the attack roll is made. The Bodyguard selects his or her
> > ally either prior to combat or immediately after the Bodyguard makes his or
> > her initiative check. The Bodyguard can't change his or her ally for the
> > duration of the combat.
>
> I'd think that the guy jumping in the way should have to make a spot
> check of something.

I'd say that you can accomplish this by requiring that the bodyguard
not be flat-footed. I'd also add in the proviso that the target of the
attack cannot be flanked.

Suggestion: Rather than readying an action (which seems like such a
sub-par choice that no one would ever elect to do it) or making it a
feat (since it seems like one of those classic maneuvers that *anyone*
should be allowed to try), make it a maneuver requiring the use of an
attack of opportunity.

This is a mechanic I've been playing with quite a bit -- allowing
attacks of opportunity to be used for other things besides making an
attack of opportunity. Some other mechanics I've been playing with in
the same vein:

PROTECT
If someone within your threatened area is about to make an attack of
opportunity against a target other than yourself, you can use your own
attack of opportunity for the round to prevent them from doing so. You
and the combatant attempting the attack of opportunity each make an
opposed melee attack roll.
If you succeed, you use your attack of opportunity to preoccupy
them and prevent them from taking the attack of opportunity. (This
does not count against the total number of attacks of opportunity they
may take in a round, however, and they may still take an attack of
opportunity later if one is provoked).
If you fail the opposed melee attack roll, they can resolve their
attack of opportunity normally. This counts as an attack of
opportunity for you.
You cannot attempt to prevent an attack of opportunity more than
once, even if you're allowed to make more than one attack of
opportunity in a round (although you may attempt to prevent additional
attacks of opportunity taken later in the round).

FAST FOOTWORK
You can sacrifice your attack of opportunity to take an additional 5
foot step during your turn or as an immediate action at any time. When
taking the full attack action, you can sacrifice one of your attacks
to take an additional 5 foot step.

[This one still needs some work to balance it with Combat Reflexes.
The subsidiary goal here is to make BAB more valuable as a perk for
the fighter classes. I also just realized, as I was typing this, that
the mechanic can be used to avoid attacks. For example, you could wait
for someone to commit to a full attack routine and then 5' step away
from them. Or wait for someone to move up to you and then take the 5'
step. Under a strict reading of the rules, they couldn't follow you
since their movement was already completed. Perhaps something
preventing you from doing this in the middle of another character's
turn, although this defeats most of the intended utility -- ducking
out of the room when a fireball goes off if you're close enough to the
exit, moving to block the doorway when someone tries to run out of the
room, and so forth.]

QUICK DODGE
At any time when you are about to be attacked, you can use an attack
of opportunity to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC as an immediate action.
The dodge bonus is only effective against a single attack. If you can
take multiple attacks of opportunity in a round (through the use of
the Combat Reflexes feat, for example) you can still only gain a
single bonus against one attack, although you can use additional
attacks of opportunity to quick dodge additional attacks.

[This is used in conjunction with the Out-of-Turn Dodge variant from
UA, in which a character can sacrifice their next turn entirely for a
+4 dodge bonus to AC which lasts until they next take action.]

Thus, in this same vein:

INTERVENE
If you are within 5 feet of an ally who is targeted by a direct melee
or ranged attack (but not an area effect), you can use an attack of
opportunity as an immediate action to attempt to take the attack in
your ally's stead. If the attack hits you, you take damage normally.
If it misses, it also misses your ally. You must declare your
intention to place yourself in harm's way before the attack roll is
made.

--
Justin Alexander
http://www.thealexandrian.net
 >> Stay informed about: Take the Hit Feat