Fists of Shadow!

[Morgenstern]

Yes, I got a bit bored, and was reading through how monks work in 4th ed.

   Flash-Step
   A flash-step is a type of movement, resembling teleportation, but with several unique restrictions. An ability granting a flash-step will always indicate the maximum straight-line distance between your starting point and destination.

•   You do not need line of sight to your destination but must be able to fit into your destination without squeezing.
•   You must be able to draw a path that can be accomplished with your normal movement types (without making skill checks). This path may be up to twice the length of the flash-step, allowing you to wind around obstacles. You may ignore all characters and those objects smaller than yourself, but not larger objects and scenery along this path.
•   Travel is instantaneous and does not prompt damage from scenery you traverse or trigger traps unless they specifically respond to teleportation or flash-step.
•   You may flash-step even if grappled, pinned, or rooted, escaping those conditions.
•   Effects that suppress or prevent teleportation also hinder flash-step movement.


   UNARMED COMBAT FEATS
   Ghostwalker Basics
   Your contemplation focuses on the moment when the soul leaves the body... and what comes after.
   Prerequisites: Martial Arts
   Benefit: Once per combat, when you hit a single flat-footed opponent with an unarmed attack you may also baffle them. You also gain a stance.
   Soul Dance (Stance): You gain 1/2 personal cover. If an adjacent opponent misses you with an attack, they become flat-footed at the end of their initiative count. You may not take movement actions other than 5 ft. steps and flash-steps.

   Ghostwalker Mastery
   Echoes and wisps circle about you, becoming visible even to those less attuned to their presence in times of conflict
   Prerequisites: Ghostwalker Basics
   Benefit: You gain 1/4 personal cover against any opponent who was flat-footed at the beginning of their initiative count and if such an opponent attacks you and misses, you may immediately take a 5 ft. step. You also gain a trick.
   Tormented Spirit Strike (Unarmed Attack Trick): You inflict 3d6 lethal shadow damage and the opponent becomes baffled and flat-footed. You may flash-step up to 25 ft. before or after making this attack. If you do so afterwards and you hit the opponent, you may bring them with you to any adjacent, unoccupied square. You may use this trick once per scene.
   Special: Shadow damage heals undead. If the target has Spell Defense that applies to the Shadow discipline, they may use that in place of their normal defense total against attacks inflicting shadow damage.

   Ghostwalker Supremacy
   You may not revel in the taking of life, but you know many secret paths that open only when it happens...
   Prerequisites: Ghostwalker mastery
   Benefit: Once per round when you kill an adversary, you may immediately flash-step up to 25 ft. as a free action. Any opponents adjacent to you at the end of this movement become flat-footed.
   Vengeful Ghost Strike (Unarmed Attack Trick): If the opponent was flat-footed when you made this attack, you instead inflict 3d6 lethal shadow damage and the target is stunned with a recurring terminal Will save (DC 10 + your wisdom modifier + the number of Unarmed combat feats you have). You may flash-step up to 25 ft. before or after making this attack. You may use this trick once per scene.
   Special: Recurring saves are made at the end of the character's initiative count every round and do not require an action. Success immediately ends the penalty, condition or effect.

[Mister Andersen]

I'be just been considering how to introduce teleportation power sets at 1st level.

[Sletchman]

Interestingly, I previously wrote a feat that gave movement identical to your flash-step for a Nightcrawler-esque character.  Also, cool feats - not familiar with the source material but I think from them I can figure out what the source is like (which is the point, right?).

[spinningdice]

Tormented Spirit Strike could be nasty with a flying character, hit then, then teleport 25ft up. sure it's normally only 2d6 dmg, but could be really nasty with other scenery involved. Scenery could be lethal anyway, there's no real caveats about dropping opponents in something (I'll teleport to this walkway and the bad guy next to me, in the superheated vent/lava stream/electrical field/other nasty effect), though this is more dependant on scenery.

[Morgenstern]

Tormented Spirit Strike could be nasty with a flying character, hit then, then teleport 25ft up. sure it's normally only 2d6 dmg, but could be really nasty with other scenery involved. Scenery could be lethal anyway, there's no real caveats about dropping opponents in something (I'll teleport to this walkway and the bad guy next to me, in the superheated vent/lava stream/electrical field/other nasty effect), though this is more dependant on scenery.

Since you can only flash-step into the air if you have a flight speed I'm pretty cool with lifting a foe for a drop. And yes, D&D4's unrelenting fetish for moving foes around makes scenery hazards more significant, which on the whole is probably a good thing.

[Morgenstern]

I'be just been considering how to introduce teleportation power sets at 1st level.

I think the D&D4 default setting must be composed of the dimensional equivalent of swiss-cheese. Teleportation is about as common as taking a swig of water .

But 4th ed is pretty good about explaining keywords (once you FIND that section at the back of each book) and templating abilities. I put together the flash-step description by reading their teleport description and making sure to address each point raised, although with different solutions/interactions in several cases.

[spinningdice]

Tormented Spirit Strike could be nasty with a flying character, hit then, then teleport 25ft up. sure it's normally only 2d6 dmg, but could be really nasty with other scenery involved. Scenery could be lethal anyway, there's no real caveats about dropping opponents in something (I'll teleport to this walkway and the bad guy next to me, in the superheated vent/lava stream/electrical field/other nasty effect), though this is more dependant on scenery.

Since you can only flash-step into the air if you have a flight speed I'm pretty cool with lifting a foe for a drop. And yes, D&D4's unrelenting fetish for moving foes around makes scenery hazards more significant, which on the whole is probably a good thing.

True, the second part I wasn't too concerned about as it's really little different to Bull Rush/Trip/various other options that can go from useful to killer in the right conditions.

The straight up is more of a concern though I don't think it's overpowering as a combo in retrospect (2d6 AP dmg vs. can only be used if space above, and countered by acrobatics checks, feather fall and flying ability)

[Morgenstern]

Actually, I was a little surprised nobody commented on the uses of Leverage and Blood in the main D&D4 conversion thread to launch opponents upwards - which I'd totally be doing if it were me . yeah, low falls like that have a fair number of counters, most of which I'd like to see get a little more exercise anyway .

[Goodlun]

While I like the ghost walk feats I wish they where a bit more general so as to be able to be applied to say
the Shade’s Step that the mist dancer gets as well as any other teleportation abilities that are similar enough to the flash step or simply give the 4th Ed Monk the Shade’s Step ability.

[Morgenstern]

*looks at shade's step* A spell point-cost true teleport requiring line of sight is pretty much completely NOT what flash-step is trying to do .

[Goodlun]

*looks at shade's step* A spell point-cost true teleport requiring line of sight is pretty much completely NOT what flash-step is trying to do .

Very true

[Morgenstern]

The advantage of flash-step from a design perspective is that is it very, very limited compared to teleportation - and safer to give out. No popping through key-holes or windows. Noreaching the top balcony in a cavern (unless you already had a climb speed - which would allow you to do so without flash-stepping).

It's a bit like winged flight in Mastercraft: it give you the essential cool ("You can fly!") with enough drawbacks to keep it from completely outshining everyone who doesn't have that option.

[Krensky]

Although reading this I can't help thinking of two handed sword chain with an Edge generating stance followed by spending it to flashstep and attack with some sneak attack damage, that I am.

[Morgenstern]

If I pick up Bleach: Soul Ressurection I promise I'll do a few chains along those lines  . I'm currently mulling over how to do Haku-Men from BlazBlue. His stance is shaping up to be gnarly, alowing you to hold up to 8 Edge (with some fierce drawbacks to keep that mostly sane).

Pale Infinity (Stance): You lose all Edge when you enter or leave this stance. You gain 1 Edge at the end of your initiative count each round, but cannot gain Edge from any other source. While in this stance your maximum Edge is exactly 8. Becoming prone or sprawled does not force you to leave this stance.

[Morgenstern]

Interestingly, I previously wrote a feat that gave movement identical to your flash-step for a Nightcrawler-esque character.  Also, cool feats - not familiar with the source material but I think from them I can figure out what the source is like (which is the point, right?).

Was this the fey-step chain/conversion from a while back?

Its just one of the paragon paths from the PHB3, where monks are introduced. Its got about a paragraph and a half of non-setting specific fluff to get the show started.

I could totally see this style in Epoch (on either side). In Sunchaser I'd use it as a Kaia Orc fighting style, thought with their periodic incusions, there's always a chance a Matha or Janno might have picked it up.