Besides the fluff when describing it, I additionaly thought that it could provide a bonus on the attack role and reduce some bonus for cover, because the gith would be "on higher ground".
Here is a sample of how a feat could look like:
Throw on the Jump
You can throw weapons while jumping.
Special Prerequisites: thri-kreen, gith, or jump 14 ranks
Prerequisites: Jump 7 ranks, Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, base attack bonus +4
Benefit: When you jump as part of your movement, you can make a single attack with a thrown weapon, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. You must move in straight line, and succeed a DC 25 jump ceck (DC 50, if you don't have 20-foot running start before you jump). If you succeed the check, you gain +1 bonus on your attack roll for being "on higher ground", and you can reduce an opponent's bonus for cover by 2, if the opponent is covered by a low obstacle and within 10 ft. from the point you jumped off.
The distance you jump is allways 10 ft.
Any comment/idea is welcomed!
Jump Shot
You can throw weapons while jumping.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, Point Blank Shot, Jump 4+ ranks or thri-kreen race or gith race
Benefit: You may make a charge action with a thrown weapon. You must have made a jump as part of your move action and the target must be within 30 feet of you at the finish. You gain the attack roll benefit , but not the Strength check benefit, and the penalty to AC as per the Charge action.
Or
It could be a +1 bonus for every 10 feet jumped.
A character would have to successfully jump at least 10 feet to gain a bonus. Although, this would give a thri-kreen with this feat an auto +3 to thrown attack rolls if they have this feat and can charge. Gith would gain a +1 automatically. Is it worth a feat?
Just some thoughts.
You may consider giving them spring attack or levels in my gith paragon class instead.
One thing B- in your feat you have prereqs and special prereqs - but that does not make sense to me
Like -
Impaling Jump
You land on or near an opponent and use the momentum of your jump to impale your foe upon your spear
Prerequisites: Jump Attack (I am using this name cuz I can :P), BAB +9 (other requirements may be necessary)
Benefit: When you land on or near an opponent at the end of a jump and attack with a piercing weapon, the threat range and damage multiplier increase. The threat range is increased by 2 and the damage multiplier increased by x1 (ie spear used to make an impaling jump would have the threat range of 18-20, and the critical multiplier of x4).
Powerful Jump Attack- just like Eberron's Powerful Charge - deal additional damage when you make a jump attack depending upon your size.
Greater Powerful Jump Attack
- just like Eberron's Greater Powerful Charge
I do not know if this is making sense, but I think that we should have the material clearly written out at to where, when, and how jump attacks should be allowed.
+8 or higher racial bonus to jump or 8 ranks in Jump.
Then resolve the jump normally simply allowing the character to throw their weapon at the apex of their jump.
Alternately (and this might work better for utilitarian purposes), you could simply make it part of the rules for jumping. Attacking as part of a Jump might add +10 to the DC of the jump check for a melee attack and +15 for a ranged one. You could set them however you think it is appropriate, having the DC multiplied by a factor of 2, 3, or even 1.5 would also work. Then you could have the feat merely eliminate this increased DC, allowing you to make the jump attack without penalty.
If you think it is too much to allow as a standard use of the jump skill without penalty, or that there is not enough benefit to the feat when setup in this way you can always apply a -2 penalty to hit for making a jump attack and then eliminate that penalty for those who take the feat as well.
IMO it seems like the sort of thing you should be able to attempt without a feat, like a trip or disarm. Which brings up the possibility of provoking AoO from imploying the manuever, which yet again might be eliminated by taking the feat.
Anyway, just though I'd share my ideas ;)
Jump Shot
You can throw weapons while jumping.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, Point Blank Shot, Jump 4+ ranks or thri-kreen race or gith race
Benefit: You may make a charge action with a thrown weapon. You must have made a jump as part of your move action and the target must be within 30 feet of you at the finish. You gain the attack roll benefit , but not the Strength check benefit, and the penalty to AC as per the Charge action.
The actual idea was to throw the weapon at the highest point of the jump, in order to get the benefit of a higher position. If the target must be at least 30 feet of the point you land, then it implies that You throw the weapon after jumped. Besides I don't get the "but not the Strength check benefit"-part. Do you mean the bonus on Strength checks for a bull rush attempt?
It could be a +1 bonus for every 10 feet jumped.
A character would have to successfully jump at least 10 feet to gain a bonus. Although, this would give a thri-kreen with this feat an auto +3 to thrown attack rolls if they have this feat and can charge. Gith would gain a +1 automatically. Is it worth a feat?
Just some thoughts.
Although this sounds intresting it has one flaw, IMO. The bonus could get too high for just one feat. For example Weapon Focus provides only a +1 bonus on attack rolls, but with the right built (mighty leap, mental leap, thri-kreen) you could get an automatic +5. I admitt, that Weapon Focus would count on every attack and the combination I presented just one maneuvre, it still seems pretty high. I don't know if that balanced enough for a feat or not.
Aren't gith spears melee weapons only? I was under this impression as well as that their spears deal slashing damage as well as piercing. Plus, gith disdain the use of ranged weapons per ToA.
You are right. I must have overlooked that. I still like the image of it, but I guess I have to stick to it than, when the party is going to encounter some thri-kreen.
You may consider giving them spring attack or levels in my gith paragon class instead.
Spring attack would only work with with melee weapons, but the idea was to find something that would combine thrown weapons, but I'm going to take a look at your paragon class.
IMO races that have such high racial bonuses on their jump skills (like gith or thri-kreen) would use it as an advantage in combat.
I like the use of the high ground idea - I would personally go with that as a bonus, maybe making the feat throw on the jump (but with a better name - like Jump Attack) as an entry feat into a small chain of jump/attack related feats.
One thing B- in your feat you have prereqs and special prereqs - but that does not make sense to me
This wasn't realy an attempt to present a proper feat, but the main idea I was looking for.
Impaling Jump
You land on or near an opponent and use the momentum of your jump to impale your foe upon your spear
Prerequisites: Jump Attack (I am using this name cuz I can :P), BAB +9 (other requirements may be necessary)
Benefit: When you land on or near an opponent at the end of a jump and attack with a piercing weapon, the threat range and damage multiplier increase. The threat range is increased by 2 and the damage multiplier increased by x1 (ie spear used to make an impaling jump would have the threat range of 18-20, and the critical multiplier of x4).
Powerful Jump Attack- just like Eberron's Powerful Charge - deal additional damage when you make a jump attack depending upon your size.
Greater Powerful Jump Attack
- just like Eberron's Greater Powerful Charge
These are some intresting feats that definetly come along with my idea on using jump as something special in combat. Maybe I find something proper for the Jump Attack.
I also think that maybe having jump attacks should be stated as being standard actions that can only be occomplished after or during a move actions where the character has sucessfully made a Jump - following the correct jump rules of course - where the chatacter has at least jumped 10 ft. from their beginning position.
Mayb something like this?
Jump Attack
Jump attack is a special full-round action that allows you to end your movement with a jump and attack during the action. However, it carries tight restriction on how you can move and when you have to jump.
Movement During a Jump Attack: You must befor your attack and end your movement with a jump. You must move at least 10 ft. (2 spuares) and make a jump of at least 10 ft., by following the regular rules for jumping. You must move and jump directly toward you opponent, but your move and jump can take up to double your speed. You could for example move 40 ft. and jump 20 ft, if you base land speed is 30 ft., and you succeed a DC 20 Jump check.
During your move before you jump, nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles), however difficult terrain and obstacles, if they are low enough, don't apply while you jump and don't hinder you.
You have to determine the point from where you start you jump, before you jump, thus a failed jump check ruins the attempt.
You can't take a 5-foot-step in the same round as a jump attack.
If you are able to take only a standard action or a move action on your turn, you can't make a jump attack.
Attacking on a Jump Attack: After the end of your jump, you may make a single melee attack. Since you can use your momentum of the jump attack in your favor, you get [insert bonus]....
I would make the prequsite more general so that any creature that recieved a large racial bonus to jump could gain the feat... something like:
+8 or higher racial bonus to jump or 8 ranks in Jump.
Then resolve the jump normally simply allowing the character to throw their weapon at the apex of their jump.
This sounds good, thanks for the advise.
Alternately (and this might work better for utilitarian purposes), you could simply make it part of the rules for jumping. Attacking as part of a Jump might add +10 to the DC of the jump check for a melee attack and +15 for a ranged one. You could set them however you think it is appropriate, having the DC multiplied by a factor of 2, 3, or even 1.5 would also work. Then you could have the feat merely eliminate this increased DC, allowing you to make the jump attack without penalty.
If you think it is too much to allow as a standard use of the jump skill without penalty, or that there is not enough benefit to the feat when setup in this way you can always apply a -2 penalty to hit for making a jump attack and then eliminate that penalty for those who take the feat as well.
IMO it seems like the sort of thing you should be able to attempt without a feat, like a trip or disarm. Which brings up the possibility of provoking AoO from imploying the manuever, which yet again might be eliminated by taking the feat.
Anyway, just though I'd share my ideas ;)
I also think, that this should be done somehow without a feat, but couldn't find anything, so I was thinking of feats, because feats are exceptions to the normal rules, and it appears that attacking while jumping is something exceptional.
If you haven't seen them, there are a couple of feats that tie into this concept in the Complete Adventurer. The Brutal Throw and Power Throw feats. Tie these into a character who has a feat allowing him to use a thrown weapon in a charge action and you have some very interesting tactics.
Thanks, but I wasn't planing to give them high str-scores but higher dex-scores and Weapon Finesse, but maybe I have to reconsider.
Thanks so far, for all the input. It seems that this issue wasn't that strange as I thought could have seen it. If you still have more ideas, I'm pleased to take a look at them.
Here I some other images, I have when I think of how creatures with high racial bonuses in jump could do.
Creature jumps on opponent and tripping him beneath it. (Would require a grapple check, but with a bonus for jumping)
Creature jumps over oppenent and attacks form the back. (Opponent could get flat-footed)