I have an idea for a Feat that I am trying to fine tune and word accurately:
Momentum Mastery (I-V)
Cost: 2 Points
Prerequisites:
Tier 1-5: Agility, Might, Energy, or Movement 5
Description:
Like a raging bull or a fierce warrior smashing into enemy lines, you are capable of carrying the momentum of your movement into your attack, making it all the more devastating. Be it by employing a jump pack, picking up ki force as you run along, or simply through the power of acrobatics, when people see you running towards the, they better brace for impact.
Effect:
Whenever you move before melee damaging attacking, you gain advantage corresponding to the distance you moved before that attack. For each increment of 5 feet of movement, you gain one level of advantage on the attack roll. The amount of advantage you can get for a single attack roll is limited by which Tier of this feat you have. Additionally, a minimum distance of movement is required to get any advantage at all, which is also defined by the Tier of this feat you have. Your movement must be in a straight line that is unobstructed by any obstacles or characters. If only parts of your move action form a straight, unobstructed line, the final stretch that qualifies applies for the purposes of calculating advantage.
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Tier 1 – maximum of advantage 1, 15 feet minimum
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Tier 2 – maximum of advantage 2, 15 feet minimum
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Tier 3 – maximum of advantage 3, 10 feet minimum
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Tier 4 – maximum of advantage 4, 10 feet minimum
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Tier 5 – maximum of advantage 5, 5 feet minimum
Special:
If you have the Bane Focus Feat, you may also perform bane attacks to inflict the bane you have Bane Focus for.
I’ve discussed this on the Discord, so to prevent a misunderstanding that occurred there (and to see if the new wording works to explain what I am trying to explain): If you have this Feat on Tier 5 and movement of 5 feet counts as a charge, that charge still only gets 1 level of advantage, because charges get one level of advantage per 5 feet moved. Therefore: 5 feet moved = 1 level of advantage.
My justification for the cost is that it is essentially a much, much more situational version of Attack Specialisation. Even if you were to move back 5 feet before every attack to get a single level of advantage, you would have to spend 10 Feat Points to get there in the first place, plus 2 points extra for evasive footwork if you do not want to expose yourself to opportunity attacks every round. By comparison, you can get advantage 4 on every single one of your attacks without even having to move at all for the price of 12 skill points in Attack Specialisation.
Changelog:
Changed “Charge Mastery” to “Momentum Mastery”, as suggested by Great Moustache
Changed “melee attack” to “melee damaging attack”
Added “Special” for the Bane Focus exception.
I meant to ask you this on Discord, how important is it for this feat to have Prerequisites? Does it really need those at all, or are you saying those are what you need to be able to give you the momentum to benefit from this feat?
Much better wording this time. I think it could possibly be pared down and still be as clear, but the initial go at it is very nice.
Also, this feels different now than the one you posted in the discord. I was going to suggest a different name for it, but you have adjusted it in such a way that it is clear to be an actual charge now. This also makes my previous comment above possibly mute, but maybe not.
My suggestion was going to be “Momentum Mastery” or something along those lines to allow it to be worded for the acrobat who might use leaps and twists and cartwheels or what have you to build up the momentum for the attack to do more damage. This way it would allow the player to describe the source of the momentum in anyway they wanted, whether from charging, acrobatics, dragging their hands to gather kinetic energy, etc etc.
I wouldn’t say that it is absolutely essential per se, however the limitation does make sense to me, as you wouldn’t have some scrawny mage be able to do this. Personally I have allowed feats (and sometimes banes/boons) to be invoked via Attributes not listed if there was good justification for it, but I suppose I cannot simply decide that most people do it this way.
The name change is a very good idea. I wanted to avoid “momentum” because there were already similarly named feats, but then again that isn’t exactly rare.
With the name change, I might would take out the requirement of a straight line, unobstructed. Maybe… maybe not.
A small note on how this could presently be used.
Tier 3 = 6 Feat points
Evasive footwork = 2 feat points
Round 1) Charge in with at least 15ft, Adv 3 on attack
Round 2) Run back 15ft, Charge back in 15ft, Adv 3 on attack
rinse and repeat, Adv 3 every time.
Attack Specialization 3 = 9 Feat points
Advantage 3 to attacks, but ONLY with the weapon or damage type chosen, whereas this feat allows the advantage with any melee attack. Also, Attack Specialization only applies to damaging attacks, where as this one applies to attacks, so that would include bane attacks.
Tier 4 = 8 Feat points
Evasive footwork = 2 feat points
Fleet of Foot Tier 2 = 4 feat points
Total Feat points = 14 feat points
- Advantage 4 every time to all melee attacks (albeit if you are unable to move teh 20 feet away to move 20 feet back it wouldn’t be every time I suppose)
- Additional utility to move that extra 10’ for other situations
- Additional utility of never being a target of AoO
Attack Specialization 4 = 12 Feat points
- Advantage 4 every time to damaging attacks made with the chosen weapon or damage type
Just as a small comparison. between the two. Naturally you want some feats to fit together well with others. Another look would be someone who has Flight on them, or the Fly Feat.
Only posting these for consideration, not to discourage or dissuade you from this feat.
I’m thinking of limiting the thing to being only damaging attacks, but I do like the idea of a Reinhardt-type character inflicting knockdown using this. It would make things a little more balanced though. Of course on the higher tiers, Attack Specialisation becomes a way cheaper investment.
I do like the straight line thing, if only because it makes this feat much more situationally useful instead of blanket useful. A provision that forbids players from dashing back and then forth again is also something I might consider, but it feels a little too restrictive. It would, however, require a character heavily focused on forced move for them to continue benefiting from charge after charge, so I need to give it some thought.
Something along the lines of:
If you moved in one direction this turn and then move into the opposite direction, you cannot benefit from this Feat.
or
If, at any point during your turn, you were inside the zone of control of a character, you will not benefit from this Feat for attacks done against that character next turn.
Something that I have been suggested is also to build a Battle Trance-like feat tree off this, like some extra investments that actually allow one to not have to use a straight line, or do this while flying/jumping, or ignoring minor obstacles in the way.
I don’t think the caveat is needed. The pulling away and charging again actually seems perfectly reasonable to me personally.
Like you said, the advantage breaks down, and there could be situational things that make it so you can’t charge away anyways, such as being surrounded or terrain.
Makign it damaging I think is a good idea, or if you have to Choose a type of attack like attack specialization, but you can get damaging or bane with it, but limited to that weapon or damage type.
Even if it was only damaging attacks, you still have Bane Focus Feat, and things like Overpowering Strike, etc.
So here’s my idea:
limit this to damaging attacks, except for bane attacks to inflict banes for which you have Bane Focus.
I have one question about this feat. This seems to be in response to normal movement and not the Charge Focus Action correct?
The way i would do mine personally would be towards the Charging focus action. First tier being getting rid of the disadvantage. And then each tier after give a advantage and make the distance moved higher because the Focus Action you can move up to double your speed. Making it fit more as a focus action move forcing players that want to use it move close to double there speed. I also believe that it should only be damaging attacks and not Bane attacks. Cause if your running to gain momentum and do a forced move or a disarm, i would say it would still be damaging just from the momentum gained. But just my thoughts.
It would also apply to the Charge Focus Action, but this is explicitly for movement. That’s why it was renamed to avoid confusion.