Bonus Maneuvers!

A Book of Iron Might Web Enhancement

By Mike Mearls

The innovative new maneuver system in Chapter Three of The Book of Iron Might allows you to create almost any effect from the ground up. To help get you started, this web enhancement features 18 new maneuvers that you can add to your game. The costs and effects for each one are spelled out, allowing you to modify the maneuvers as you see fit or use them as models for your own creations.

Agile Strike (Dexterity)
Effect: Deny Dexterity Bonus: -10
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You dodge around an opponent, attacking him from an unexpected direction that leaves him defenseless.

Brutal Strike (Strength)
Effect: Ability Score Damage: -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Overpowering Effort: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Fortitude): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
Using your raw, brute force, you hammer an opponent with such tremendous power that you pop joints loose, shatter bones, and/or inflict a concussion.

Clever Disarm (Intelligence)
Effect: Disarming Attack: -20
Drawback: Free Strike: +10
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Overpowering Effort: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: +0
You seemingly drop your guard. As your opponent strikes at you, you lash out at his arm and force him to drop his weapon.

Crippling Blow (Strength)
Effect: Disrupt Special Ability: -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Overpowering Effort: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You attack with such vicious strength that you smash the organ or body part that a creature uses to generate a magical attack.

Ear Shot (Dexterity)
Effect: Deafening Attack: -10
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Reflex): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -0
You slice at an opponent's ear, taking off part of it with a surgeon's precision. The flow of blood and the pain temporarily disrupts his hearing.

Entangling Attack (Strength)
Effect: Stagger: -10
Drawback: Opposed Check (Strength): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You lock blades with your foe, forcing him to waste a precious moment as he fights to break free of your attack.

Eye Strike (Intelligence)
Effect: Blinding Attack: -30
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Effects Only: +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Will): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -10
You take careful aim and slash above an opponent's eyes, using your knowledge of anatomy to hit in the perfect spot to blind him temporarily with the rushing blood of a light but messy wound.

Hamstring (Dexterity)
Effect: Movement Damage: -10
Drawback: Saving Throw (Reflex): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You dive low between an opponent's legs, using speed and agility to slice into his legs and damage his mobility.

Leaping Power Slam (Strength)
Effect: Knockdown: -20
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Opposed Check (Strength): +5
Drawback: Effects Only: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You jump into the air and land on top of your foe in a desperate bid to knock him prone with your weight and power.

Mystical Strike (Intelligence)
Effect: Disrupt Special Ability: -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Effects Only: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Will): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You carefully observe a creature's actions, studying it to determine how it uses a magical attack. Once you identify the organs or body parts that generate the effect, you strike at them.

Pick Up and Fling
Effect: Bonus Damage (+4): -10
Effect: Knockback: -10
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Total): +10
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
A giant or other tall creature might simply attempt to grab a character and throw him through the air. This example shows how you can use the maneuver system to simulate such an action.
The knockback effect provides the best fit for the giant's attack, while the bonus damage represents the additional crushing and impact inflicted as the giant slams into his foe. You could easily remove the Bonus Damage benefit along with the Full-Round Action drawback to create a maneuver with a +0 attack modifier.

Precise Strike (Wisdom)
Effect: Bonus Damage (+8): -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Opposed Attack Roll: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You strike with an assassin's patience, waiting for the perfect moment to push your blade past an opponent's defenses. Against a poorly trained or incautious foe, you can score a deadly hit. Look at how this maneuver is built compared to wild swing below.

Pressure Point Strike (Wisdom)
Effect: Stun: -30
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Will): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -15
Using your intuitive sense of an opponent's body and the flow of his ki energy, you strike at a critical point that temporarily disables him.

Skull Ringer (Strength)
Effect: Daze Attack: -20
Drawback: Free Strike: +10
Drawback: Overpowering Effort: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Fortitude): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You swing with all your might at your opponent's head, hoping to inflict a mild concussion that leaves him senseless for a critical moment. Unfortunately, this attack requires such a drawn-out windup that you leave yourself open to a counterattack. Still, the result is worth it.

Sucker Punch (Charisma)
Effect: Deny Dexterity Bonus: -10
Drawback: Overpowering Effect: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You feign weakness, hopefully causing your foe to relax long enough for you to get in a powerful shot against him.

Surgical Strike (Dexterity)
Effect: Ability Score Damage: -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Effects Only: +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Saving Throw (Reflex): +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: +0
With precise aim, you sever a tendon, break a bone, or otherwise hit a vital spot that impairs your opponent's basic abilities.

Sweeping Strike (Strength)
Effect: Area Attack: -5/5-foot area
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Total): +10
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5/5-foot area + 15, maximum -0
You throw your weight behind a single, arcing strike that slams through your opponents with brutal strength.

Wild Swing (Strength)
Effect: Bonus Damage (+8): -20
Drawback: Attack of Opportunity (Target Only): +5
Drawback: Full-Round Action: +5
Drawback: Overpowering Effort: +5
Net Effect: Total Penalty: -5
You put your full weight behind a single, devastating strike. If it hits, your opponent might be in no shape to make a counter attack.

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