M. Talents Dev Doc
Now in update phase
Strength | Constitution | Charisma
Water into Woes
1st-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: S, M (a ring with a hollow compartment worth at least 20gp)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Spell Lists: Lictor, Ranger, Wizard
You pass the hand wearing the material component used in the spell's casting over a vessel holding no more than 1 gallon of nonmagical liquid, transforming it into odorless poison. When a creature consumes the poison, it must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 4d4 poison damage and becomes poisoned for 1 hour. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage and is not poisoned.
If the hollow compartment in the material component used in the spell's casting is filled with another nonmagical liquid, you can choose to transform the targeted liquid into that substance, instead.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can transform 10 additional gallons of liquid in this way for each slot level above 1st.
Quell Fears & Doubts
14th-level Social & Utility Talent, concentration
With a few words or a determined pose heavy with gravitas, you use an action to embolden creatures of your choice with-in 40 feet of you for 10 minutes. While emboldened in this way, a creature has resistance to psychic damage, any exist-ing effects that would cause it to act against its will (including the charmed or frightened conditions) are suppressed, and the creature can end the emboldened condition on itself to prevent any such effect from taking hold of it.
As a bonus action on each of your turns while concentrating on this talent, you can repeat its effects.
Crescent Slice
lower-level Combat Talent
Very simple -- do a semicircle strike. Poss for added aplomb, upgrade it to a 'full moon' circle strike all around. Either for 4 added flat, or you can add a single section of the full circle + extra damage per 2 aplomb -- trickier to work out there, though very satisfying if I can do it.
Swap with Crashing Wave in the formatting, rename Crashing Wave.
Weakening Blow
mid-level Combat Talent
A staggering blow that lowers the save DC of any abilities/spellcasting from the target for X amount of time.
Wuthering Razor Rush
6th-level Martial Talent
When you take the Attack action, you can forgo your ordinary weapon attacks to instead draw a melee weapon and rush forward like the slicing gale. The path of your rush is a straight line equal in width to your space and equal in length to your movement speed (or lower, if a solid obstacle is in the way). This rush of movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity and ignores difficult terrain created by moving through a creature's space.
If your drawn weapon deals slashing damage, each crea-ture within 5 feet of your line of movement must succeed on
a Dexterity saving throw or take slashing damage equal to 4 rolls of the weapon's damage die. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and clips you as you pass if it is hostile, dealing 1d6 damage to you.
If your drawn weapon deals bludgeoning or piercing damage, then only one creature of your choice takes damage from its saving throw as you strike them upon passing.
You can use this version of the Attack action only if you haven’t moved during this turn, and after you use the action, your speed is 0 until the end of the current turn.
You can pull off this talent with added aplomb when you make your rush, increasing the damage dealt by one fur-ther roll of your weapon's damage die for every 2 additional aplomb you spend.
Zodiac Stance
18th-level Martial Talent inspired by the Beast creature type
As a bonus action, you take a stance derived from the forms of powerful beasts. For 1 minute or until you take another stance, you replace your AC with the AC of a beast of your choice of CR 10 or lower, and replace your unarmed strikes with the attack actions of that beast. If the beast has any traits, such as the Charge, Pack Tactics, or Pounce traits, that affect its attacks or movement, you also gain the benefits of those traits while your stance imitates that beast. As a bonus action on each of your turns while in this stance, you can change the beast you are imitating to another one of your choice.
When a hostile creature you can see within 40 feet of you drops below 75 hit points, you become aware of its weakness and can use your reaction to move adjacent to it and attempt to deal a predatory killing blow. Make an unarmed strike against the target. On a hit, the target drops to 0 hit points and dies. Your stance then ends, and your speed is 0 until the end of your next turn.
Wild Stance
smaller sibling of the above
As a bonus action, you take a stance derived from the forms of powerful beasts. For 1 minute or until
Vigilant Stance
4th-level Combat Talent
As a bonus action, you take a watchful stance focusing on exploiting the briefest moments of lowered defenses in your foes. For 1 minute or until you take another stance, you have disadvantage on saving throws against being blinded or stunned, you cannot be magically put to sleep, and your opportunity attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
When a friendly creature you can see within 30 feet of you is targeted by an opportunity attack, you can use your reaction to move adjacent to it and negate the blow, granting the creature the benefits of the Disengage action. Your stance then ends, and your speed is 0 until the end of your next turn.
Warcry
4th-level Combat Talent
Strength | Constitution | Charisma
When you take the Attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with a powerful shout. All hostile creatures in a 10-foot cube must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d4 thunder and 1d4 psychic damage, and must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit, unless no other option is available to it. On a successful save, a creature takes the thunder damage only and doesn’t have to move away. A deafened creature has advantage on the save.
You can pull off this talent with added aplomb when you unleash your shout, increasing the size of the cube by 5 feet on a side and adding an additional 1d4 to the thunder damage dealt for every 2 additional aplomb spent.
Warding Flames
8th-level Utility Talent
Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom
The oldest light of civilization still proves a strong bane against its baser fears. As an action while holding a lit torch and 1 pint of oil or similar fuel, you can begin creating a 30-foot diameter ring, which you complete and light at the end of your next turn if you remain within 5 feet the affected area for the duration. Smoke extends 40 feet upward from the flaming ring to form a cylinder of heat, light, and haze. The flames burn for 1 hour.
Any beasts, humanoids hostile to you, monstrosities, plants, or undead that don't possess resistance to fire damage are unable to willingly enter or exit the cylinder by nonmagi-cal means without first succeeding on a Charisma saving throw. In addition, flames affect a creature of the given types in the following ways:
- The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets within the cylinder.
- Targets within the cylinder can’t be charmed, frightened, or possessed by the creature.
- If the creature is inside the ring, it has disadvantage on saving throws against being blinded or frightened that are forced by creatures outside of it.
Warrior of Legend
18th-level Combat Talent
Your talents are truly peerless among mortals: one of you upon a battlefield brings the might of many others combined. As an action, you can push yourself to live up to your legend in full for 1 minute, granting yourself the will and skill to exert constant infleunce upon an encounter. While doing so, you can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. You regain spent legendary actions at the start of your turn.
Display of Skill. You make one ability check in a skill or using a tool with which you are proficient. Exhibit Talent. You use one other talent which requires an action or bonus action. Press the Attack . You make one weapon attack. Show of Speed. You move up to your speed without provoking opportunity attacks. If you're incapacitated or reduced to 0 hit points, the total number of legendary actions you can take each round is reduced by 1 until the effects of the talent end. If the number of legendary actions you can take is reduced to 0, you can't move or take actions until after your next turn, as reality crashes in and your exertions take their toll.
Optional Feat: Talented
Prerequisite: the ability to learn martial talents
You are a martial prodigy who has worked hard to extend your skills, granting you the following benefits:
- Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn one martial talent of your choice, the level prerequisite for which you must meet when you take this feat, and one 2nd-level martial talent of your choice. If the talents you choose require a saving throw, determine the DC for the save using the ability increased by this feat.
If Offered as Rewards to Artificers, Lictors, Rangers, or Paladins
As a DM, you may decide to offer talents to half-casting classes as well to help reflect their own martial prowess. If doing so, don't exceed a total number of talent rewards equal to half those recommended for "full martials" (rounding down). It's also recommended that the talent be at least 1 grade lower than would be available to full martial classes at the same level: a 12th-level paladin that is granted a talent as a reward, for example, should gain an option of 10th-level or lower.
The Maths
At every level you gain a new tier of talent (aside from 2nd and 4th level), you have enough points of aplomb to pull off your fancy new trick a total of 4 times if you do almost nothing else that day -- or roughly twice per short rest period for typical tables. The very next level, you have enough points to do it 5 times exactly per day.
2nd and 4th are exceptions in that you can pull off your new talent a maximum of 3 times per day at these levels.
These numbers increase greatly when you factor in talents within your wheelhouse, which is the point of that part of the system. Picking your new biggest talent from within your wheelhouse means you can use it more while having aplomb left over for other stuff, but as you level up the comparative cost is less steep and you might hone something more unusual for that level.
The unorthodox leap at 20th is purely for style. You've just hit max level: of course you want that number to hit 100.
