User:Idkwhatmynameis/Sandbox3

Author: [[User:Idkwhatmynameis|Idkwhatmynameis]] ([[User talk:Idkwhatmynameis|talk]]) Date Created: 25/3/10 Status: <-how close to completion-> Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Swordsman

“	Your life. This blade will spill it.	”
—Dakkon Blackblade, Swordsman

Every fantasy story needs a guy who's really good at wielding a sword. You're that guy.

Becoming a Swordsman

Becoming a swordsman pretty much comes down to owning a sword and training, whether through learning under an old mentor on a mountain, from a training manual which has been passed down for generations, or through simply going into battle and surviving.

Entry Requirements

Base Attack Bonus:	+4
Feats:	Weapon Focus (any bladed weapon),Power Attack, Weapon Specialization (any bladed weapon)

Table: The Swordsman

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+2	+2	Parry 1/encounter, Lead Blades, Blade Trick, Sword Mastery
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+3	Blade Trick, Called Strike (arms, legs), Bonus Feat
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+3	Parry 2/encounter, Sword Trance
4th	+4	+4	+4	+4	Blade Trick, Called Strike (head, torso), Bonus Feat
5th	+5	+4	+4	+4	Parry 3/encounter, Greater Sword Trance
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level.) Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Swordsman.

Parry(Ex): At 1^st, you've learnt that getting hit hurt. As an immediate action, whenever you are about to be hit by an ability that requires an attack roll, you may make an opposed attack roll. If your attack roll is equal to or exceeds the attack's, you effectively parry the attack and take no damage or other associated effect. You may use this ability once per encounter at level one and an additional time at levels three and five.

Lead Blades (Ex): Whenever you're wielding a bladed weapon and use the Power Attack feat, you may treat it as if you were wielding it with two hands.

Blade Trick (Ex): Beginning at 1^st level, you learn a wide variety of tricks that only someone with an unhealthy obsession would have time to practice. At 1^st 2^nd and 4^th level, you may pick one of the following abilities:

Always in Hand (Ex):You may pick up and draw your weapon as a free action as long as it is within your reach.

Thrown Blade (Ex): You may throw your weapon as a ranged attack with a range of 30 feet.

Pole Vault (Ex): You may ignore up to 10 feet of rough terrain while wielding a bladed weapon. Additionally, you gain a competence bonus to Jump (Str) checks equal to four times your class levels.

Just Like Butter (Ex): Whenever you're wielding a bladed weapon, you may ignore the first 20 points of hardness when striking an object.

Flourish (Ex): When wielding a bladed weapon, you may make an Intimidate (Cha) check as a move action once per round, gaining a bonus to the check equal to the enhancement bonus on the weapon.

Slow Fall (Ex): You gain the monk ability of the same name, with unlimited fall distance.

Versatile Weapon (Ex): You may use a bladed weapon to deal piercing, slashing, blunt and non-lethal damage, you choose which type of damage to deal when declaring an attack.

Sword Mastery (Ex): At 1^st level, you may pick a specific type of bladed weapon, such as a longsword, gaining several abilities while wielding said weapon. At 1^st level you treat levels of swordsman as fighter, furthermore, your weapon gains an enhancement bonus equal to 1/3^rd your character level.

At 2^nd level you are treated as having improved disarm,improved feint, and [[SRD:Improved Sunder|improved sunder] while wielding your chosen weapon.

At 3^rd level you are treated as having greater weapon specialization while wielding your weapon.

At 4^th level you gain improved critical while holding that weapon.

At 5^th level you gain greater weapon Focus with that weapon.

With a one hour training ritual, you may change which type of bladed weapon this ability applies to.

Called Strike (Ex): At 2^nd level, you gain the ability to make called strikes. You can declare any of your iterative attacks to be called strikes, but it must be done before you roll the attack. At 2^nd level you have access to the following called strikes: Arms (Ex): By taking a -3 penalty to hit, you may cripple your opponent's arms, causing them to take a -2 penalty to attack rolls, skills involving arms, and giving them a 25% spell failure chance for any spell that has somatic components. Legs (Ex): By taking a -3 penalty to hit, you may cripple your opponent's legs, halving their movement speed and preventing them from taking the run, withdraw, and 5 foot step action.

At 4^th level you gain access to these called strikes: Torso (Ex): By taking a -3 penalty to hit, you may force your opponent to move 10 ft/level in any direction. If said creature hits a wall or other solid object, it takes 1d6 per 10 feet they would have otherwise moved. This ability only works on creatures up to 2 sizes larger than you. Head (Ex): By taking a -6 penalty to hit, you force the opponent to roll a DC 10 + 1/2 character level + Str fortitude save or be your choice of blinded for 1d4 rounds or stunned for 1.

Bonus Feats: At 2^nd and 4^th level, you may choose a bonus Combat Feat. If you are not using Tome, you may choose a Fighter Bonus Feat that you qualify for.

Sword Trance (Ex): At 3^rd level, you gain the ability to enter a meditative state where your fighting ability is truly unmatched. Entering a sword trance is a move action. During a sword trance you gain several benefits while wielding a bladed weapon. You gain a +4 bonus to strength and dexterity, increase your reach by 5 feet, ignore all damage reduction, and lastly, gain the ability to take a full attack action as a standard action. You may end your sword trance as a free action, and can be in sword trance for a total number of rounds equal to 4+your strength modifier rounds per day. Each level of swordsman adds 2 rounds to the number of rounds you may sword trance.

Campaign Information

Playing a Royal Vanguard

Combat: In combat, you want to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and your opponents took all the gum. Go get your gum back.

Advancement: Anything that makes you kick more ass is a desirable way to advance, including more levels of Blood Knight.

Resources: Blood Knights are equally likely to fight each other as they are to fight alongside one another, and these situations are not mutually exclusive.

Royal Vanguard in the World

“

Round One. Fight!

”

Wherever there is Battle, there are Blood Knights, with almost no exceptions. (Most of said exceptions are pitifully small-scale skirmishes.)

NPC Reactions: NPCs that know what a Blood Knight is will generally attempt to convince the Blood Knight that there is something worth beating up far away from where they are right now. Usually, the NPC is right.

Royal Vanguard Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Warfare) can research Blood Knights to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Warfare)

DC	Result
11	There are those in this world who fight for the sake of fighting.
16	Those people are called Blood Knights. They live for battle and can be found wherever there is a good fight.
21	It is said that if a war is not happening right now, a Blood Knight is getting one started.
26	Some Legendary Blood Knights do not stay dead, returning to face their killer in a duel to the death for the right to return to life.

Royal Vanguard in the Game

Blood Knights fit an Attacker and Striker role in Combat, and if they are not currently doing this, they find a fight and jump in so that they can.

Adaptation: If you can't find a place for guys and gals who go around starting fights because they want to find a good fight, nothing I can write here can really help you.

Sample Encounter: A very archetypal Random Encounter if there was one, just have an unnamed Blood Knight challenge the most visually imposing member of your party to a one on one fight.

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