Wildblade (3.5e Class)

Wildblade
Not everyone who loves nature becomes a druid or ranger. Some may not have a taste for spells, while others focus less on the hunt and more on the inner beast and the instinct inside of everyone. These are the wildblades, warriors of instinct and battle who channel the spirits of nature and the wrath of great animals in their attacks.

Making a Wildblade
Abilities: A strong Strength or Dexterity is useful for attacking and defensing, and as they are in melee a strong Constitution is needed as well. Some of their abilities benefit from a healthy Wisdom score. Charisma is important if wildblades wish to befriend their natural allies, and Intelligence is useful to make the use of all their skills.

Races: Any race can become a wildblade, though those prone to becoming druids and rangers naturally have a stronger affinity than most.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d4&times;10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As rogue.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the wildblade.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wildblades are proficient with simple and martial melee weapons (including those that can be used as thrown weapons), darts, javelins, and slings. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wilding.

Wildblades are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. (A wildblade may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description) Wildblades are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.

A wildblade who wears prohibited armor or carries a prohibited shield is unable to initiate supernatural wildblade class features while doing so and for 24 hours thereafter.

Maneuvers: At 1st level, you gain three maneuvers known from the Aerial Ace, Desert Wind, Domestic Tarrasque, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Tiger Claw, and Wild Moon disciplines. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. You add your full wildblade levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known. At 2nd, 3rd, and every odd level beyond, you gain an additional maneuver readied per day.

Upon reaching 3rd level, and at every wildblade level after that, you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver.

Maneuvers Readied: You can ready all three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by meditating for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to meditate again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in deep thought, you can change your readied maneuvers.

You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).

You can recover all expended maneuvers with a single move action as long as you have a divine focus, typically something befitting of nature such as a carved wooden symbol or a mistletoe. You need not hold the focus, but it must be displayed on your body and not hidden. If you lack the focus, you may still recover your maneuvers but the time extends to a full-round action.

Stances Known: At 1st, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level, you learn a new martial stance from one of the Aerial Ace, Desert Wind, Domestic Tarrasque, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Tiger Claw, or Wild Moon disciplines. You must meet a stance’s prerequisite to learn it.

Bonus Languages: A wildblade’s bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures. This choice is in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.

A wildblade also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to druids and wildblades, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level druid. Druidic is a free language for a wildblade; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn’t take up a language slot. Wildblades are forbidden to teach this language to non-druids and non-wildblades. For all intents and purposes, wildblades are considered a sect of druidism, and should be considered such when meeting members of the druid class.

Druidic has its own alphabet.

 : A wildblade is accompanied by a loyal animal pet, gaining an animal companion as a druid of his wildblade class level. This functions as the druid class features in all respects, except you do not gain the share spells ability with your companion. Instead you gain share maneuvers.

 : You have a subtle mental link between you and your companion. Your animal companion may use one of your maneuvers in your stead. It may use this ability whenever it is within 100 feet of you. When it uses a maneuver, it is expended as if you used it yourself. In addition, you cannot employ any maneuvers of your own which had the same action. For example, if your animal companion used a standard action strike, you cannot use a standard action maneuver of your own, but you may use a swift, immediate, or move action maneuver. You may still make an standard action which does not use maneuvers, such as making an attack roll, drinking a potion, or similar.

 (Ex): A wildblade gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

 (Ex): A wildblade can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The wildblade rolls 1d20 and adds her wildblade level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.

The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the wildblade and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

A wildblade can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.

 (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a wildblade may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

 (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a wildblade leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

 (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a wildblade gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

 : At 5th level, a wildblade gains the ability to channel the spirits of animals in both mind and body. As a standard action she enters a state known as the Wilding, transforming into a beastal, animalistic form of herself similar to a lycanthrope. She retains her basic (generally humanoid) shape but appears as any sort of animal instead. When she is in a wilding she gains several powers, which she may select upon first entering the wilding state. The wilding lasts for 1 hour per class level and may be dismissed at any time as a standard action. In the wilding state, the wildblade is unable to communicate and is only able to roar or make other beastal noises. The list of abilities she may obtain are listed below in The Wilding.

She may enter the Wilding state 1/day at 5th and an additional time every odd level after. At 9th, 13th, and 17th levels, the list of wilding powers she may adopt expands, giving her more choices.

 : At 6th level, a wildblade is blessed by the spirits of nature, allowing her to draw on the life essence of the forest to heal her own wounds. She automatically stabilizes whenever she falls below 0 hp, and heals 1 hp every hour. Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 1 point of damage per level every 5 minutes. If the wildblade loses a limb, an organ, or any other body part it will regenerate  as per the spell.

If she is within an urban environment, she loses the regenerative ability but not the slow healing effect.

 : At 7th level, a wildblade no longer needs to eat, drink, or sleep. Her biological needs are now provided by the presence of life and nature around her. Only a world completely devoid of all life (or an antimagic field) could cease this ability.

 : At 7th level, a wildblade may speak to the natural world which lives around her. She gains the ability to cast speak with animals, speak with plants, or stone tell as a swift action. She may use these spell-like abilities in any combination up to her 3 + Wisdom modifier times per day (minimum 3). Her caster level is equal to her character level.

 : At 8th level, a wildblade becomes immune to disease and poison.

 (Ex): While in any sort of natural terrain, a wildblade of 10th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.

 : At 11th level, a wildblade is surrounded by a thin sheath of purified air. She no longer needs to breath and is immune to inhaled hazards and gaseous damage, such as from acid fog. She still takes non-damaging effects, such as concealment or being slowed by a solid fog spell.

 : At 12th level, a wildblade's blessings improve. She gains fast healing equal to her Con modifier as she draws in the essence of life around her (minimum 1). When in an urban environment, the fast healing drops to fast healing 1.

 : At 14th level, a wildblade has a spiritual link to the environment, allowing to to directly access knowledge from its essence. She may use commune with Nature at will as a standard action. She may also contact the nature spirits 1/day, duplicating the effects of commune free of charge with a casting time of 10 minutes.

 : At 15th level, a wildblade can draw in energy from nature suddenly, healing her but briefly draining the land of vitality. As an immediate action she may subject herself and others to the effects of a mass heal spell, but after doing so her nature's mercy class features cease to function until she has rested for at least 8 hours. She cannot use Life Shock again until her nature's mercy class features return.

 (Ex): After attaining 15th level, a wildblade no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place.

Bonuses still accrue, and the wildblade still dies of old age when her time is up.

 : At 16th level, a wildblade becomes immune to ability damage and death effects.

 : At 18th level, a wildblade is truely blessed by nature. Her fast healing upgrades into regeneration, which is bypassed by cold iron and acid damage. As before, it drops to regeneration 1 while in urban environments.

 : At 19th level, a wildblade will not die so easily, not as long as the cycle of life continues. She may seek out a tree of her choosing and bond her spirit to it after 24 hours of meditation. From that point on, if the wildblade dies she may choose to respawn in 24 hours at the sight of her bonded tree as if subject to a reincarnate spell. So long as the tree remains, so does she.

She has 60 feet of sight and hearing around her tree at all times and is aware of it even if sleeping. At will she may greater teleport and/or plane shift directly next to her tree, though she will need more conventional means to travel back. Typically this is only done when her tree is in danger. If the tree is destroyed, she loses 200 xp per character level and she must find a new tree to bond with.

Her type changes to Fey, and she may count as a fey or a member of her original type as beneficial. She gains DR 10/cold iron, and is completely immune to any environmental damage and effects of the plane she is on. This includes wind effects from a tornado, lava from a volcano, freezing temperatures, the burning effect on the Elemental Plane of Fire, and similar but not fire damage from a fireball spell. Her body naturally adapts to the environments she enters, changing form as needed and evolving on the fly.



The Wilding
Wildblades can shift into a primal state, channeling the spirits of beasts in nature. It is similar to wildshape, and counts as wildshape for pre-requisites and abilities which affect wildshape. Unlike wildshape, the wildblade does not transform into specific animals (though she may look however she wishes) but instead gains several animal-like powers and traits. She has a pool of wilding points equal to her class level. Each time she uses her wilding ability, she may select any number of powers equal or less than her wilding pool.

At 5th level she only has access to the least wilding powers. As she gains levels, she acquires access to the lesser, greater, and superior ability lists as well.

You may select abilities multiple times, but abilities overlap, they do not stack. You may only acquire 3 natural attacks from wilding.

 : You gain a bite attack, which deals 1d8 + Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). If you only make a bite attack in the round, you deal 1+1/2 times Str in damage and may treat it as if using a two-handed weapon. You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 1 point.

 : You gain two claw attacks, which deal 1d6 + Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 1 point.

 : You gain DR/magic equal to 1/2 your class level. Costs 2 points.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it gains the ability to grapple as a free action on a successful attack. Costs 2 points.

 : You may select either a climb speed of 20 feet, a burrow speed of 10 feet, a swim speed of 40 feet, or a fly speed of 30 feet (average). You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new movement option. Costs 2 points.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it carries a poison which deals 1d4/1d4 ability damage to one ability score, chosen when you acquire this wilding ability. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. Costs 1 point.

 : Gain a +2 enhancement bonus to one of your ability scores. Costs 2 points.

 : Gain a +1 enhancement bonus to your natural armor. You may select this ability multiple times, and the natural armor stacks with itself but not other sources of enhanced natural armor, such as from barkskin. Costs 1 point.

 : You gain the scent ability. Costs 1 point.

 : You gain a +8 racial bonus to a skill of your choice. Costs 2 points.

 : You gain a slam attack, which deals 2d4 + Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). If you only make a slam attack in the round, you deal 1+1/2 times Str in damage and may treat it as if using a two-handed weapon. You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 1 point.

 : You are able to speak in your wilding form, allowing you to cast spells and communicate as normal. Costs 2 points.

 : You gain a tail slap, which deals 1d6 + 1+1/2 Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). You may use your tail to make trip attempts without provoking an attack of opportunity. You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 2 points.

 : You gain a tentacle or vine which deals 1d4 + 1/2 Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). You have reach with a tentacle. Unlike most weapons with reach you may attack adjucant squares. You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 1 point.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it gains the ability to trip as a free action on a successful attack. Costs 2 points.

 : You gain low-light vision and darkvision out to 60 feet. Costs 1 point.

You may now acquire up to 5 natural attacks from wilding.

 : Gain a +4 enhancement bonus to one of your ability scores. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain a breath weapon which deals 1d6 points of damage per HD. Choose either a 30 foot cone or a 60 foot line, and choose if the damage is fire, cold, electric, or acid. Targets recieve a Reflex save for half damage, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. You may use your breath weapon once every 1d4 rounds. Costs 4 points.

 : You gain the constrict ability, allowing you to crush grappled opponents. When grappling you deal an additional 3d6 points of damage. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain energy resistance equal to twice your class level. You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new type of energy resistance (acid, cold, electric, fire, or sonic). Costs 3 points.

 : You gain either blindsense out to 30 feet, or tremorsense out to 60 feet. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain a gore, which deals 1d8 + 1+1/2 Str mod in damage (for medium creatures). If you attack in a charge, the gore deals double damage. You can select this ability multiple times, though you're still limited on how many natural attacks you can possess. Costs 3 points.

 : Your size increases or decreases by one catagory. If you decrease your size you gain a +2 size bonus to Dexterity, a -2 penalty to Strength, a +1 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature one size smaller. If you increase your size you gain a +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 penalty to Dexterity, a +1 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature one size larger. These changes do not stack with other size changing abilities. Costs 4 points.

 : You may select either a climb speed of 40 feet, a burrow speed of 20 feet, a swim speed of 60 feet, a fly speed of 60 feet (average), or a fly speed of 30 feet (good). You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new movement option. Costs 4 points.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it carries a poison which deals 1d6/1d6 ability damage to one ability score, chosen when you acquire this wilding ability. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain the ability to deal extra damage if you strike with two or more of your natural weapons, dealing an extra 2d6 points of damage. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain the swallow whole ability, allowing to devour any creature you have successfully grappled. Instead of pinning the creature on a subsequent successful grapple you may eat them, as long as they are one size catagory smaller than you. While inside, the enemy takes 1d6 points of damage per HD you possess, half bludgeoning and half acid. They may cut their way out by dealing three times your HD in damage in a single blow. Your stomach's AC is 10 + 1/2 your natural armor bonus. Muscular action closes the hole afterwards. Your stomach is apparently extradimensional in nature, as it can hold up to one creature per character level, regardless of their size. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain the trample ability, dealing 2d6 + 1-1/2 Str modifier in damage to all creatures in a line, as per normal for trample. You also gain a +4 bonus on stability checks made to hold your ground against bull rushes and trip attempts. Costs 3 points.

You may now acquire up to 7 natural attacks from wilding.

 : Select a weapon material and an alignment. Your natural weapons are considered to be magic weapons made of that material and alignment for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction and your ability to strike incorporeal opponents. Unlike most wilding abilities you may change the material and alignment as a standard action for as long as the duration of the wilding lasts. Costs 4 points.

 : You gain complete immunity to one type of damage, piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing. Unlike other abilities, you may only select this once. Costs 5 points.

 : You gain immunity to one type of energy. You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new type of energy immunity (acid, cold, electric, fire, or sonic). Costs 5 points.

 : Gain a +6 enhancement bonus to one of your ability scores. Costs 4 points.

 : You may select either a climb speed of 60 feet, a burrow speed of 40 feet, a swim speed of 90 feet, a fly speed of 90 feet (average), or a fly speed of 60 feet (good). You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new movement option. Costs 5 points.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it carries a poison which deals 1d10/1d10 ability damage to one ability score, chosen when you acquire this wilding ability. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. Costs 4 points.

 : Your size increases or decreases by two catagories. If you decrease your size you gain a +4 size bonus to Dexterity, a -4 penalty to Strength, a +2 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature two sizes smaller. If you increase your size you gain a +4 size bonus to Strength, a -4 penalty to Dexterity, a +2 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature two sizes larger. These changes do not stack with other size changing abilities. Costs 5 points.

 : You gain spell resistance equal to your HD + 10. Costs 4 points.

You may now acquire up to 9 natural attacks from wilding.

 : You gain control over the local plant life, surrounding yourself with an entangle spell centered on you, at a caster level equal to your character level. You have perfect control over the plants, so you may allow yourself and allies to pass unhindered. The saving throw is DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. As the spell, the environment must have some materials to entangle with. Costs 5 points.

 : You gain either blindsight out to 30 feet, blindsense out to 90 feet, or tremorsense out to 500 feet. Costs 3 points.

 : You gain the Plant type, and gain immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. You are not subject to critical hits or sneak attacks. Costs 6 points.

 : You gain the pounce ability. Costs 7 points.

 : You generate an earthquake with your fists or feet. All creatures in a 90 foot cone deal 1d4 points of damage per HD, and fall prone. A Reflex save negates the falling prone, but not the damage. Costs 5 points.

 : Your size increases or decreases by three catagories. If you decrease your size you gain a +8 size bonus to Dexterity, a -6 penalty to Strength, a +4 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature three sizes smaller. If you increase your size you gain a +8 size bonus to Strength, a -6 penalty to Dexterity, a +4 racial bonus to natural armor, and the space, reach, and size of a creature three sizes larger. These changes do not stack with other size changing abilities. Costs 7 points.

 : Gain a +8 racial bonus to one of your ability scores. Costs 5 points.

 : You may select either a climb speed of 80 feet, a burrow speed of 60 feet, a swim speed of 120 feet, a fly speed of 120 feet (average), a fly speed of 90 feet (good), or a fly speed of 60 feet (perfect). You may select this ability multiple times, each time gaining a new movement option. Costs 6 points.

 : Select one of your natural weapons, it carries a poison which deals 2d6/2d6 ability damage to one ability score, chosen when you acquire this wilding ability. It is unnaturally potent, and still works on creatures immune to poison, but only deals 1d6/1d6 damage. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier. Costs 5 points.

 : You share your fast healing or regeneration abilities with others in 60 feet, granting them fast healing equal to your fast healing or regeneration. Costs 6 points.

Ex-Wildblades
A wildblade who ceases to revere nature or teaches the Druidic language to a nondruid loses all supernatural class abilities and her animal companion, but not including maneuvers, weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She cannot thereafter gain levels as a wildblade until she atones (see the atonement spell description).

Epic Wildblade
Maneuvers Known: <-how this class feature increases or accumulates at epic levels->

Maneuvers Readied: <-how this class feature increases or accumulates at epic levels->

Stances Known: <-how this class feature increases or accumulates at epic levels->



Epic Wildblade Bonus Feat List: <-list of bonus epic feats->.

Human Wildblade Starting Package
Weapons: Scimitar.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Feat: Dodge.

Bonus Feats: Power Attack.

Gear: Studded Leather Armor.

Gold: 85gp.

Playing a Wildblade
Religion: Wildblades are simply druids with a different direction in life. They worship dieties of the natural world and elemental forces.

Other Classes: Wildblades are versitile, they often can use their wilding to solve many problems. Maneuvers suppliment their power, giving them an edge in combat.

Combat: A wildblade will often fight with natural weapons, using her wilding ability to cover weak spots and maximize strong areas, depending on her methods of attack.

Advancement: Classes which advance wild shape also advance wilding, and should be considered.

Wildblades in the World
"I fight for the beasts who have no voices to protest with. Turn back now, or you will make war with the animal nation."

Daily Life: Wildblades are seemingly primative and backwards, but as their druid brothers they merely wish to connect back with their forgotten great mother, nature itself. They consider civilization temporary, they will be the ones standing when civilization crumbles and falls.

Notables: PENDING.

Organizations: Wildblades are a druidic organization and are welcome in druidic circles.

NPC Reactions: What, the druid over there? I thought druids always could fight, that's just a druid without spells.

Wildblade Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Nature can research wildblades to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Wildblades in the Game
Adaptation: Wildblades could very well replace druids in magic-light games.

Sample Encounter: The druids of the forest have been mobilizing under command of a charismatic and dangerous young wildblade who would hold that if civilization desires to spread without end, nature should do the same by force.

EL 10: PENDING.