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PersonMan
2012-10-25, 07:51 AM
The Thundering Blade

A remake of a prestige class I made a long time ago, this has been sitting around for at least 6 months and I've decided to go ahead and post it. I'm aware that the class' use of the initiative system is unusual and it might require some fiddling to make work (especially in PbP games that do group initiative). In these cases, I recommend making an "initiative score" that's essentially the result of taking 10 on initiative and replacing "higher on the initiative order" and similar with "has a higher initiative score".

Requirements
Skills: Tumble 6 ranks
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Special: Initiative bonus of +6 or higher


{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special

1st|+1|+0|+2|+0|Improved Speed +2/+10', Run, Improved Finesse

2nd|+2|+0|+3|+0|Speedy Strike +1d6, Sneak Attack +1d6

3rd|+3|+1|+3|+1|Thundering Strike, Blurred Cuts

4th|+4|+1|+4|+1|Burst Move, Improved Speed +4/+20'

5th|+5|+1|+4|+1|Speedy Strike +2d6, Swift Steps

6th|+6|+2|+5|+2|Speedy Block

7th|+7|+2|+5|+2|Improved Speed +6/30'

8th|+8|+2|+6|+2|Speedy Strike +3d6

9th|+9|+3|+6|+3|Unstoppable Movement, Sneak Attack +2d6

10th|+10|+3|+7|+3|Thunderous Advance, Improved Speed +8/+40'

[/table]

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8

Class Skills:
Balance(Dex), Bluff(Cha), Listen(Wis), Jump(Str), Profession(Wis),
Ride(Dex), Spot(Wis), Swim(Str), Tumble(Dex), Use Rope(Dex)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A thundering blade does not gain any weapon or armor proficiencies.

Improved Speed (Ex): Starting at first level, a thundering blade gains a +2 bonus to initiative. A thundering blade's speed(with all forms of movement) increases by 10 feet as well.

At levels 4, 7 and 10 the initiative bonus increases by 2 and the speed bonus by 10'.

Improved Finesse (Ex): At 1st level a thundering blade can use any weapon as a finesse weapon. They can also use their Dexterity modifier in place of their Strength modifier to determine

Run: At level 1 a thundering blade gains the Run feat as a bonus feat, even if they do not meet the prerequisites. if the thundering blade already has the Run feat, they may instead choose any feat for which they qualify.

Speedy Strike (Ex): At second level and higher, a thundering blade can deal extra damage to those who are slow to respond. A thundering blade deals 1d6 bonus damage to enemies that are below it in the initiative order.

At levels 5 and 8 this increases by 1d6.

Sneak Attack (Ex): At level 2 a thundering blade learns how to strike at enemies without momentum more effectively. They also perfect methods that allow them to more severely injure those who cannot properly use their movement to defend themselves. A thundering blade deals 1d6 extra points of damage against flat-footed or flanked enemies. This extra damage stacks with Sneak Attack gained from other classes.

At level 9 this increases to 2d6.

Thundering Strike (Ex): At 3rd level a thundering blade's attacks shake slower enemies to their core, causing their heart and muscles to fall out of sync. Any enemy below the thundering blade in the initiative order that takes damage from them must make a Fortitude save (DC = damage dealt) or take a -1 penalty to attack rolls, Fortitude saves and Reflex saves for 1 round.

At levels 6 and 9 the penalties increase by 1 and the duration by 1 round.

Blurred Cuts (Ex): At 3rd level a thundering blade's speed allows them to perform unexpected twists and turns while attacking, making it difficult for slower enemies to follow their attacks. A thundering blade gains a bonus to attack rolls against enemies below them in the initiative order equal to 1/3 of their level.

Burst Move (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a thundering blade can take an extra move action on their turn. This causes them to 'lose' two points in the initiative order. They can be moved down the order through this loss. If this happens, their turn is resolved as normal, but next round they take their turn in the new order.

At 8th level, a thundering blade take an additional standard action, instead losing four points of initiative. This can only be done once per round and is limited to a number of uses per day equal to 1/2 the user's class level. These uses are refreshed by resting (see Thunderous Advance for details).

Swift Steps (Ex): At level 5 a thundering blade's movements become more fluid, giving them a bonus on Tumble checks equal to their class level.

Additionally, a thundering blade can now choose to replace the result of any initiative roll they make with 10 (this is done before the application of all modifiers, such as from the thundering blade's Dexterity modifier).

Speedy Block (Ex): Thundering blades defend themselves more easily against slow enemies. At level 6 they gain a bonus to AC and saving throws equal to their half their class level against enemies below them in the initiative order.

Unstoppable Movement (Ex): At level 9 a thundering blade's movement cannot be stopped. Against any effect that would stop or slow their movement, a thundering blade is treated as having made their save, if one is allowed. If no save is allowed, they are allowed a save(the save has a DC of 10 + spell level + an appropriate ability modifier; if none can be found, then Charisma). If they would suffer adverse affects that directly impede their movement anyways, they ignore them. This does not include effects that indirectly impede movement.

For example, a thundering blade who is affected by a Slow spell automatically makes his save, but one who is trapped in a solid object does not gain any special ability to move through it.

Thunderous Advance (Ex): At level 10 a thundering blade can move at incredible speeds, making it all but impossible for slower enemies to defend themselves. Once per day a thundering blade can enter this state, which lasts for 2 + the user's Dexterity modifier rounds. During this time the thundering blade's Dexterity increases by 4 points and they may use Burst Move without the initiative cost. They also move at twice their normal speed and gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Due to the immense strain this puts on them, they cannot use this ability without resting for a time normal for their race (magic or other things that reduce time needed to rest apply here).

Delaying and Readied Actions: A thundering blade who changes their place in the initiative order by delaying or readying an action can still put their speed to use, but cannot gain an advantage as easily as at the beginning of combat. If a thundering blade moves to a lower place in the initiative order due to delaying or readying an action, they use their former place as their Effective Initiative Value, from which the enemies they gain bonuses against from Speedy Strike and Speedy Block are calculated.

A thundering blade who uses delaying or readied actions to move to the top of the initiative order of the next round can, as a swift action, make a new initiative check with a -5 penalty. If this result is greater than their former initiative, they can use it as their Effective Initiative Value (see above).

[Essentially, this means that a thundering blade can't just delay themselves to the top of the initiative order to get bonuses against everyone, but someone screwed over by a bad roll can try their luck at getting a better one.]