Fighting Style: Staves

Req. 2-Handed Bashing 3

Rank 1	Stave Fighter	You know how to make your staff deadly, or not. Each time your character makes an attack with a staff, you may elect to choose to keep the original non-lethal damage of the staff, or improve it to lethal damage. This choice may be changed as a Free Action without restriction. If the staff is enchanted or enhanced with an effect which already converts the damage to lethal, you may elect to over-ride that conversion and retain the non-lethal damage instead. If this choice is made, it does not lose the additional effects of the enhancement, such as Fire descriptor damage for the Magecraft Fire Staff. Additionally, staves in your hands gain +1 to the base weapon damage dice, increasing it from 2 to 3. This increases again to 4 dice at Rank 3.
Rank 2	Parry Attack	You may ready an action to counter a melee attack within reach before your next action. Upon attempting to counter an attack in this way, make an opposed attack roll vs the attacker's unmodified attack roll. Your attack roll gains a bonus equal to the amount of Parry you have. If your opposed roll is greater than the attack roll, you counter the attack preventing it from dealing damage. Attacks deflected in this way do not hit any Wards, reactive armors, or other defenses. Additionally you gain +1 Parry. This increases to +2 at Rank 4.
Rank 3	Double Parry	When you ready a Full Action to use Parry Attack, you may parry one attack from each of two opponents, even if they go at different initiatives. You may not also use Counter Strike or Intercept Attack when you use Double Parry.
Rank 4	Intercept Attack	You may use Parry Attack as a Standard Action instead of a Full Round Action. This allows the character to move on their turn, then ready a Parry Attack. You may not also use Double Parry or Counter Strike when you use Intercept Attack.
Rank 5	Counter Strike	You may perform a Parry Attack and a regular melee attack as a Full Action. You may not also use Double Parry or Intercept Attack when you use Counter Strike.