When studying and gathering the various martial styles that would eventually be known as the Sublime Way, Reshar apparently and inexplicably ignored an entire category of weapons: ranged ones. While there were a number of martial experts who disagreed with Reshar’s blanket disapproval, few were angered more than the dwarves of the Thunderhead clan. The Thunderheads were masters of the crossbow, with the lesser members of the clan able to shoot a pebble at 50 yards. They trained with stone crossbows and bolts until ones of wood were as light and easy to manipulate as a feather, and any clan member who ever missed was struck once by every clan member for every bolt they wasted. Their concentration was incredible, and they were able to remain as steady as stone in every situation, with focus that rivaled the most dedicated of monks. Needless to say, they felt insulted when Reshar considered swordplay more “sublime” than their crossbow shooting, and they made it their personal mission to spread their teachings to as wide an audience as possible, even if that meant watering it down a bit. The way of the Thunder Bolt is unfortunately not available to all; a potential practitioner must be proficient with at least a single associated weapon. Of the usual followers of the Sublime Way, only Warblades aren’t naturally proficient with at least simple crossbows, though it’s not difficult to gain proficiency. However, the cost of studying such a foreign style is indeed great; the potential practitioner must devote such a large amount of training to the style that most must exclude another style from their learning entirely. Upon gaining their first level of a martial class, a character may choose to lose all access to one discipline usually known (other than Stone Dragon) in order to gain access to Thunder Bolt. Additionally, if Concentration wasn’t a class skill for the initiate, it becomes one, and the removed discipline's associated skill is no longer a class skill. Game Mechanics of the Thunder BoltAvailable To: Any proficient with simple crossbows Discipline Skill: Concentration (Con) Discipline Weapons: All crossbows. If your campaign uses them, firearms and/or ray weapons could also be considered associated. Saves: Wisdom based Maneuver Granting Item: Thunder Bolt Glove [edit]Maneuvers of the Thunder Bolt Discipline
1st-Level Maneuvers
2nd-Level Maneuvers
3rd-Level Maneuvers
4th-Level Maneuvers
5th-Level Maneuvers
6th-Level Maneuvers
7th-Level Maneuvers
8th-Level Maneuvers
9th-Level Maneuvers
You reduce the penalties for shooting a crossbow one-handed by -2. Additionally, you may reload a crossbow even if you don’t have a free hand, though the time it takes is increased a single step (free action to move action to standard action to full-round action); if it would already take a full-round action, you cannot reload without having a hand free. This does not increase the reload time specified by any maneuver (such as Fell the Ettin) or the Instant Reload feat.
As a part of this maneuver, you make a single ranged attack. If you hit, you deal extra damage equal to your ranks in the Concentration skill.
You don’t provoke attacks of opportunity for firing a ranged weapon in melee, or for reloading a ranged weapon.
While in this stance, whenever you drop an opponent with a ranged attack, you may make an additional attack at the same bonus against an opponent in a straight, 5-foot wide line behind the opponent you dropped. Range penalties are calculated from your location, rather than the opponent’s location. This attack is made with the same piece of ammunition as the original attack; you don’t lose another bolt or need to reload. This stance can never allow you to attack the same creature twice with the same bolt (such as with the Penetrating Shot feat).
As a part of this maneuver, take a double move action. You provoke no attacks of opportunity for any movement taken from this maneuver. You also make a full attack, with each attack coming at any point of the double move; you need not use all attacks from the same location. Any opponent whose space you move through before attacking them is considered flat-footed for these attacks, and your attacks deal +2d10 damage to them. Note that while this maneuver does allow you to avoid attacks of opportunity, it doesn’t give you any special manner of moving through your opponent’s spaces. They must either be two sizes larger or smaller than you, or you must make Tumble checks, as normal.
Whenever you make a ranged attack within the first range increment of your weapon, you may instead make two attacks against the same creature, each at a -4. If you use this ability with a martial maneuver, only the first attack has the effects of the martial maneuver; the second is just a standard ranged attack. You reload as a free action in between the two attacks.
You gain a bonus to attacks against armored opponents equal to the opponent’s armor check penalty.
You make a single ranged attack as a part of this maneuver. If it hits, the target must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 11 + your Wisdom modifier) or be knocked prone.
You make a single ranged attack against an opponent who performs an action that would provoke an attack of opportunity if you threatened them in melee. You must expend an attack of opportunity to use this maneuver.
As a part of this maneuver, you make a Concentration check, with a DC equal to the target’s AC. If you succeed, you may make a single ranged attack. If you hit, the attack deals +12d8 damage, and the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 18 + your Wisdom modifier) or be stunned until the beginning of your next turn. If you fail the Concentration check, you lose the action spent on this attack.
You move up to your base land speed as a standard move action, and reload your crossbow as a part of the same action, even if would normally take longer.
You ignore all miss chances, supernatural or otherwise, against any target whose square you can pinpoint (you still must have line of effect, however). All range penalties are halved, and you may fire twice as many range increments as usual (20 for a standard ranged weapon, 10 for a thrown one). For every ranged attack you make, you roll 2d20 and take the higher result.
You make a single ranged attack against an opponent who performs an action that would provoke an attack of opportunity if you threatened them in melee. You must expend an attack of opportunity to use this maneuver.
As a part of this maneuver, you make a Concentration check with a DC equal to the target’s AC. If you succeed, you may make a single ranged attack. If you hit, the attack deals +4d8 damage, and the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 14 + your Wisdom modifier) or be stunned until the beginning of your next turn. If you fail the Concentration check, you lose the action spent on this attack.
Your ranged attacks are resolved as touch attacks.
As a part of this maneuver, you make a single ranged attack. If you hit, you deal standard damage for a ranged attack, ignoring any DR other than DR/epic, or hardness the target has.
As a part of this maneuver, you make a single ranged attack. If you hit, you deal standard damage for a ranged attack, ignoring any DR other than DR/epic, or hardness the target has. Additionally, if the target is a living creature, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + your Wisdom modifier) or take 4 Constitution damage. If the target is a construct, undead, object, or otherwise lacks a Constitution score, it takes an extra 1d6 points of damage per initiator level.
As a part of this maneuver, you automatically hit a single opponent with a ranged attack that ignores all DR and hardness. The target of your attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 19 + your Wisdom modifier) or take 20d6 damage in addition to the normal damage from the attack. If the target is a construct, undead, object, or otherwise lacks a Constitution score, and it fails the Fortitude save, it is instead utterly destroyed, as though reduced to 0 hit points by a disintegrate spell. Even if it makes the save, it still takes 10d6 extra damage.
When you or an ally within range is targeted by a ranged attack, you may oppose the attack with an attack of your own. If your attack roll is higher than your or your ally’s AC, the enemy’s arrow must overcome your attack roll instead of its target’s AC. This maneuver cannot stop anything that Deflect Arrows couldn’t deflect.
When you or an ally within range is targeted by a massive ranged attack, you may oppose the attack with an attack of your own. If your attack roll is higher than your or your ally’s AC, the enemy’s projectile must overcome your attack roll instead of its target’s AC. Alternatively, this maneuver may be used to automatically counter a ranged attack made by a small projectile (anything Deflect Arrows could defend against).
As a part of this maneuver, you make a single ranged attack. This attack is made with complete disregard for any physical concealment (incorporeal miss chance or something similar still applies), cover, or any martial maneuver of 3rd level or lower that would prevent your attack from hitting. You also take no penalty for firing into melee.
You matke a single ranged attack against an opponent who performs an action that would provoke an attack of opportunity if you threatened them in melee. You must expend an attack of opportunity to use this maneuver.
Any physical damage from your ranged attacks cannot be healed by fast healing or regeneration (though regeneration still turns the damage to nonlethal). This stance has no effect if you’re attacking an opponent without a discernible anatomy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||