Class: Unfettered

The Unfettered
		Maneuvers
Level	Special	Maneuvers Readied	Combos	Max Maneuver Grade	Schools	Maneuvers Known
1	Feint	2	1	Basic	1	4
2	Swashbuckling	2	1	Basic	1	6
3		3	1	Lesser	1	7
4	Swashbuckling	3	2	Lesser	1	8
5		4	2	Lesser	2	10
6	Swashbuckling	4	2	Lesser	2	11
7		5	3	Lesser	2	12
8	Swashbuckling	5	3	Expert	2	14
9		6	3	Expert	2	15
10	Unfettered Talent	6	4	Expert	2	16
11		7	4	Expert	3	18
12	Unfettered Talent	7	4	Expert	3	19
13		8	5	Greater	3	20
14	Unfettered Talent	8	5	Greater	3	22
15		9	5	Greater	3	23
16	Unfettered Talent	9	6	Greater	3	24
17		10	6	Greater	3	26
18	Unfettered Talent	10	6	Master	3	27
19		11	7	Master	3	28
20	Unfettered Talent	11	7	Master	3	30

 

Unfettered

Aeowyn, iconic unfettered

"Your kidney seems to be unholy. Let me fix that for you real quick."

Speed, mobility, and the willingness to take risks define the unfettered. Often garbed in light armor and wielding smaller armaments, she emphasizes quickness over brute strength, striking when the moment is right and bounding away from danger when appropriate. Unfettered are constantly vigilant in combat, seeking out every opportunity, looking for every moment of weakness, which they can then utilize to gain the upper hand over opponents who seemingly outmatch them at first glance.

Unfettered traditionally come from one of three schools of thought, but they are all related by their preference for smaller or lighter weaponry, reliance on hit-and-run tactics, and general avoidance of getting in the thick of things.

Game Rule Information

Unfettered have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: None.

Force Resistances: None.

Abilities: Unfettered require different ability scores, dependent upon their focus. Speed unfettered rely upon Dexterity; grace unfettered rely upon Intelligence; and panache unfettered rely on Charisma. Ultimately, all three of these abilities are important to an unfettered.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Con score.

Hit Points at Each Additional Level: 9 + Con modifier.

Healing Surges: 10 + Con modifier.

Defenses: Fort +0; Ref +4; Will +0; Det +4.

Starting Age: Simple.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the unfettered.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Any four melee, any one.

Armor: Light.

Implements: None.

Maneuvers

Unfettered are warriors, and as such make use of maneuvers, specific attacks or other abilities attained through rigorous training.

To use their maneuvers, unfettered must ready them into her readied maneuvers slots; with a short rest, she can change out what maneuvers she has readied. In combat, she must check for openings to assess creatures' stances and determine which of her maneuvers, if any, will be effective against her foes.

 

Unfettered Schools
School	Primary Ability	Description
Assassination	Int	You strike swiftly and from surprise, taking your time to find the perfect opening.
Duelist	Brv	You fight openly and brashly, using bravado and tricks to overcome your opposition.
Mercurial	Dex	You focus on moving quickly, getting to a target and dashing away before he can respond.

 

Maneuvers are almost universally completely physical in nature and have no Force components; they are expressions of the mortal body pushed to its limits. Maneuvers are divided into schools, which represent particular thoughts and approaches to combat, training, and martial abilities. The minimum primary ability needed to use a maneuver is indicated on the table to the right.

Maneuver Stats by Grade
Grade	Minimum Primary Ability
Basic	10
Lesser	12
Expert	14
Greater	16
Master	18
Epic	20

When you ready your maneuvers, you can also choose to set some as combos; the maximum number of maneuvers you can set as combos are as per the class table, above. Maneuvers designated as combos have additional effects.

At the beginning of a combat, all of your readied maneuvers are open: part of the unfettered combat style is a reliance on surprise and enemies not knowing your tactics, which allows you to freely use your maneuvers, at least initially. Even enemies you have encountered before can be caught off-guard, as it's always possible you've changed up your tactics or have learned new tricks since you last saw them.

At the beginning of each of your turns, you make an opening roll, which is 1d6; all maneuvers you have readied with an opening value of the result or lower become open. Maneuvers that are not open are closed, and cannot be used. The opening value of maneuvers depends upon its grade and the highest grade you can access, per the table below.

To use a maneuver, it must be open. Once you use a maneuver, it becomes closed.

The unfettered begins with four known maneuvers. She gains knowledge of additional maneuvers each level, as per the class table, above. At fourth level and every four levels after, she can trade out up to two maneuvers for new maneuvers from any school she can access, of any grade she can access.

If you would gain access to a school, you can choose to instead gain a bonus feat, which must be a feat for which you qualify. If you would gain access to a school and already have access to three schools, you gain a bonus feat instead.

 

Maneuvers: Opening Values
	Maneuver Grade
Highest Maneuver Grade Accessible	Basic	Lesser	Expert	Greater	Master	Epic
Basic	5	---	---	---	---	---
Lesser	4	6	---	---	---	---
Expert	3	5	6	---	---	---
Greater	2	4	5	6	---	---
Master	2	3	4	5	6	---
Epic	2	3	4	5	6	6

 

The unfettered's key ability for her physical attacks is dependent upon the weapon she wields; when using a maneuver, if her primary ability score for the maneuver's school is greater than the ability score she would use for her weapon, she can use that instead.

Feint

The unfettered combat style is one of ambushes, misdirection, and generally taking advantage of your opponent's mistakes.

You can spend a move action to gain combat advantage against one creature you can see within 30 feet until the end of your turn.

Swashbuckling

The unfettered approach to combat is a varied one, with a versatile skill set.

At each of the levels indicated on the class table, you can choose one of the following abilities. Unless otherwise specified, each ability can only be taken once.

▶ Apothecary

You know your way around poisons.

So long as you have your equipment, as a swift action, you can make a weapon you wield deal half its damage as poison damage for a Brief (5 round) duration.

You gain innate poison resist. (A creature with resist takes half damage from the listed damage type.)

▶ Disarming Demeanor

You have a knack for making yourself seem less dangerous than you are.

As a swift action, you can remove one malice or marked status from yourself.

▶ Evasion

You know how to avoid oncoming fire.

You gain evasion. (A creature with evasion ignores miss effects from attacks targeting Reflex.)

▶ Feign Death

You can convincingly fake your death.

When you are critical, you can choose to gain the feigning death descriptor. If you do, you fall prone and are effectively unconscious, but retain awareness of your surroundings; all creatures within 30 feet of you grant you combat advantage unless they have the wary of $YOU descriptor. If you take an action while you have the feigning death descriptor, you lose that descriptor, and all creatures who can see you gain the wary of $YOU descriptor.

If you spend a healing surge to regain hit points, you can voluntarily lose the feigning death descriptor.

Creatures with the libra status automatically gain wary of $YOU when you use this ability; a creature with wary of $YOU can alert others, granting them the wary of $YOU descriptor.

Creatures gradually lose the wary of $YOU descriptor based on their mental ability scores.

▶ Knife Flick

You might be more dangerous when seemingly unarmed.

As an interrupt, if you are unarmed and attacked by a physical attack, you can spend a reaction to draw a light weapon and make a physical attack with it against your attacker.

▶ Main Gauche

Prerequisites: Dual Wield

When you use your Dual Wield feat, you have an additional option: "Gain a +2 feat bonus to all Defenses against the target's physical attacks until the start of your next turn."

▶ Sneak Attack

You know just where to strike when your enemy's guard is down.

When you make a physical attack against a creature that grants you combat advantage, you gain a +1 feat bonus to your damage potency. You can take this ability multiple times; its effect stacks.

This ability cannot break the damage cap.

▶ Swift

You're particularly light on your feet.

You gain a +10 feat bonus to your movement speed. You can take this ability multiple times; its effect stacks.

▶ Theatrical Acrobatics

Things like tables and chairs don't hinder your movement, and you have a flair for the theatrical means of getting to where you want to go.

You gain urbanwalk. (A creature with urbanwalk ignores difficult terrain if that terrain is caused by furnishings, stairs, roof tiles, narrow catwalks, or similar terrain found in urban environments.)

You treat chandeliers, hanging ropes, and similar manufactured hanging materials and ornamentation as difficult terrain (you are not considered to be climbing while traversing such terrain).

Maneuvers

The following is the unfettered maneuver list, ordered by school, then by grade.

Assassination School

Assassination Basic Stance
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
???	Free	Stance	???

 

Assassination Basic Maneuvers
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
Adaptable Flanker	Swift	Boost	You and an ally gain combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn.
Checking Jab	Standard	Strike	Your attack also slows the target.
Clever Strike	Standard	Strike	Your attack gains combat advantage if an adjacent ally threatens the target.
Deadly Knowledge	Reaction	Boost	When your attack bloodies a creature, or you score a critical hit, that attack deals extra damage.
Easy Target	Standard	Strike	The target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn.
Precise Incision	Standard	Strike	Your attack deals extra damage.
Probing Strike	Standard	Strike	Attack grants you a power bonus to your next attack roll.
Sneak in the Attack	Swift	Boost	The next time an ally attacks the target and has combat advantage against it, you can make a basic attack against the target as a free action.

 

Duelist School

Duelist Basic Stance
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
???	Free	Stance	???

 

Duelist Basic Maneuvers
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
Agile Footwork	Reaction	Rush	You can shift a short distance when a creature approaches you.
Fox's Gambit	Standard	Strike	Make an attack; end any marks the target has, and you can shift.
Kip Up	Reaction	Boost	When you are knocked prone, you can freely stand up and shift.
Riposte	Standard	Strike	Make an attack; if the target attacks you before the end of your next turn, you can counter.
Unbalancing Strike	Standard	Strike	Make an attack; slide the target after.
Use the Scenery	Swift	Boost	Gain a power bonus to Defenses while you have cover until the end of your next turn.

 

Mercurial School

Mercurial Basic Stance
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
Cunning Step	Free	Stance	You gain a power bonus to your movement speed.

 

Mercurial Basic Maneuvers
Maneuver Name	Action	Type	Effect
Acrobatic Slash	Standard	Strike	Make an attack that allows you to escape a grab, and also shift.
Deft Strike	Standard	Strike	You can move a short distance before you attack.
King's Castle	Standard	Strike	Make an attack, then switch places with a nearby ally.
Sudden Leap	Swift	Rush	You can jump a number of squares up to half your movement speed.
Switcheroo	Move	Boost	You and one ally within short range can swap places.
Tumble	Move	Rush	You can shift up to your movement speed.

 

Design Notes

Yeah, just... complete do-over.

t20 v4.

I'm unhappy with the unfettered schools. Not sure what to do about it right now - think I need to write up the first 24 maneuvers (8 per school, for basic tier), then distribute them according to whatever themes I see, then rename. No good way to go about this, unfortunately, other than to just... do it.

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