Spellblade (3.5 ToB PrC)

Keeper of Starlight · 07-14-2011, 01:27 AM

Spoiler

"See that barbarian friend of mine? You think he's scary? Wait until you see what I have in store!"
-Kiranja, Elf Spellblade

The Art of Swordplay

Spellblade's specialize in the ability to weave around their opponents' attacks and then strike with supernatural accuracy through any gap in that enemy's defense that they can find. As such, Dexterity is the most key skill for any Spellblade that wishes to survive long in the midst of battle, as it allows them both to dodge attacks and for their blows to hit home upon the enemy. Intelligence, too, is important, as a braver Spellblade will rely on numerous skills to move quickly and safely among their enemies. Constitution, too, is important to their survival, as a lack of hit points can make even a single hit deadly.

Races
Similar to the Swordsage, many races may find an attraction to this class, but elves are the most likely, as their grace befits the methodology of Spellblade techniques. Humans, too, may take a liking to the versatility of blows this class can offer them.

Becoming a Spellblade

Swordsages that travel with a group are the most likely to have a major interest in these techniques. Seeking to further their role as skirmisher, the hindrances provided by Spellblade attacks can make them a boon to their party.

Prerequisites
Skills: Heal 8 Ranks, Perform (Dance) 4 Ranks
Feats: Blade Meditation (Dancing Goddess), Desert Wind Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Maneuvers: Three Dancing Goddess Maneuvers, including at least one level three Maneuver; Two Desert Wind Maneuvers; and one Diamond Mind Maneuver
Stances: Grace of the Goddess Stance

Hit Dice: d8
Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Heal, Hide, Jump, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Perform (all skills, taken separately), Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Tumble
Skill Points: 4+Int per level

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Reflex Save	Will Save	Special	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known
1	+0	+0	+2	+2	Gift of the Dancing Blade, Blade Arts(1)	0	1	0
2	+1	+0	+3	+3	Silence Blade	1	0	1
3	+2	+1	+3	+3	Blade Arts(2)	0	1	0
4	+3	+1	+4	+4	Maim Blade	1	0	0
5	+3	+1	+4	+4	Mobility, Blade Arts(3)	0	1	1
6	+4	+2	+5	+5	Uncanny Dodge	1	0	0
7	+5	+2	+5	+5	Doom Blade	0	1	0
8	+6	+2	+6	+6	Blade Arts(4)	1	0	0
9	+6	+3	+6	+6	Embrace of Blades	0	1	1

Maneuvers: At each even-numbered level, you gain knowledge of a new maneuver from the Dancing Goddess, Desert Wind, or Diamond Mind discipline for which you meet the prerequisites. You add your full Spellblade levels for determining Initiator Level and the highest-level Maneuver you can learn. At each odd-numbered level, you gain an additional maneuver readied.

Stances Known: At levels 2, 5, and 9, you gain knowledge of a new martial Stance from the Dancing Goddess, Desert Wind, or Diamond Mind discipline for which you meet the prerequisites.

Gift of the Dancing Blade: The Spellblade feels a connection with their blade from the beginning of their training. Starting at Level 1, any feat you have taken that would apply to weapons of a particular discipline, such as Desert Wind Dodge, also apply to short swords or rapiers when you are wielding one in your primary hand.

Blade Arts: Spellblades are capable of using their weapons to weaken their opponents abilities and defenses. The Blade Arts function similarly to Maneuvers: each may be used once per encounter, and is then considered expended and cannot be used again. They cannot be recovered during the encounter, but are recovered immediately after the encounter ends. The Silence Blade, Maim Blade, and Doom Blade also count as Blade Arts techniques. None of these techniques can be used without a blade.

At first, third, fifth, and eighth level you choose from four abilities to learn. As you advance in level, the abilities you choose will grow in power as well. Each level you learn a new one of these abilities, any abilities you previously new increase in power, as shown in the tables below each ability.

The abilities you may select are:

Poison Blade: As your sword swings through the air towards his enemy, it gleams green with a dark mixture. Looking down, the victim realizes too late that poison is now coursing through his body. When you strike an enemy using this technique, you deal an extra 1d6 damage, and your enemy must make a Fortitude Save with a DC of 10+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier, or be subject to poison. He immediately takes 1d10 Str damage, and after five rounds he must make another Fortitude save with the same DC to avoid taking 1d8 Con damage.

Spoiler

Stun Blade: Your sword quickly pierces your enemies defenses, causing them to freeze in terror. This technique bypasses DR up to 15/– (this stacks with Adamantine weapons' abilities), and in addition to taking regular damage, the enemy must make a Will Save with a DC of 10+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier, or be stunned for 2d4 rounds.

Spoiler

Slow Blade: Your attack circumvents your opponent's defense to strike them near their heart. With panic, they feel their movements crawl to a halt. When you use this technique, instead of a regular attack, you make a Touch attack to hit your opponent. Should you succeed, you deal your normal damage, and your enemy must make a Will Save with a DC of 10+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier or have their Initiative in the current encounter reduced by 10 (minimum 0). Whether they have taken an action or not this turn, they may not make any further actions for the remainder of the round.

Spoiler

Confusion Blade: Your blade swings as if from nowhere, striking so quickly that the enemy becomes confused as to who his opponents are. This technique can be activated when you would normally be allowed an attack of opportunity, but does not count against your normal number of attacks of opportunity during the round. You deal normal damage against the opponent on a successful attack roll, and your opponent must also make a Will Save with a DC of 10+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier or lose sense of who is friend and foe for 1d4 rounds. At the beginning of each of their turns, they must make a Will Save. If they fail, they attack one of their allies; if they succeed, they attack one of their foes instead.

Spoiler

Silence Blade: Your blade moves quickly to your opponents throat with a shallow slice, silencing their cries. This Blade Art technique can silence your opponents as it strikes. If your attack hits, your opponent takes normal damage, and must make a Reflex Save with a DC of 12+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier. If they fail this save, their voice is silenced until they receive healing of double the damage they take from your strike. They can no longer speak or cast spells with verbal components.

Maim Blade: Your sword slices around your opponent's defense to strike along their wrists. They scream out, dropping their weapon in agony. This technique can cause your opponent to drop their weapon. If your attack hits, your enemy takes normal damage, and drops anything they are holding. In addition, they must make a Reflex Save with a DC of 13+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier, or they cannot hold any weapon other than a light one-handed weapon, and even these must be wielded with both hands. Should they try to cast a spell with a somatic component while injured, they must make a Spellcraft check with the same DC as the Reflex Save or the spell fails.

Mobility: You gain Mobility as a bonus feat, if you did not already have it.

Uncanny Dodge: You gain Uncanny Dodge, as the Rogue ability of the same name. If you already gained Uncanny Dodge from another class, you gain Improved Uncanny Dodge.

Doom Blade: Your blade pierces your enemies heart, and as the seconds go by, they feel it slow, until it slowly stops. When using this technique, you gain a +2 bonus to your attack roll. If you hit, you deal normal damage and your opponent must make a Fortitude Save with a DC of 16+1/2 Initiator Level+your Dex modifier. Should they pass this save, they instantly take 4d6 damage. Should they fail, they take 4d6 damage, and after three rounds they are instantly reduced to -5 health. If they have no Constitution score, then after these three rounds they disintegrate.

Embrace of Blades: Upon reaching the pinnacle of Spellblade knowledge, your blade develops a life of its own, and your bond with it blade becomes more powerful than the laws of physics. Your blade becomes a part of your power. You can store an extra readied maneuver in your blade, which can be used any time you are holding your sword. This maneuver recovers at dawn every day, and not after each encounter. In addition, your sword becomes Dancing, and can return to your hand from anywhere on the same Plane with a swift action. If you purposely find a new sword, your old sword loses these abilities, and the new blade gains them after one week. In addition, your blade develops the ability to help your strikes, and the Save DCs for any Blade Arts technique you use increase by 2.

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Well, here it is. Let me know what you think of it, and any ideas you have for balance or anything else.

NeoSeraphi · 07-14-2011, 01:32 AM

For your Blade Arts: The DC is really low. At the end of the class it's just 14+ your Dexterity modifier. The 1/2 class level thing is for base classes and racial HD abilities. Prestige classes usually use 10+Class level+Stat, because they are only 10 levels long. (In most cases)

Keeper of Starlight · 07-14-2011, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoSeraphi

For your Blade Arts: The DC is really low. At the end of the class it's just 14+ your Dexterity modifier. The 1/2 class level thing is for base classes and racial HD abilities. Prestige classes usually use 10+Class level+Stat, because they are only 10 levels long. (In most cases)

Do you think I should make it Class Level, then, or 1/2 Character Level? I think 1/2 Character Level might make it more effective to bump up DC from the start of the class.

NeoSeraphi · 07-14-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Πέρα από τον Ορ

Do you think I should make it Class Level, then, or 1/2 Character Level? I think 1/2 Character Level might make it more effective to bump up DC from the start of the class.

Well, prestige classes never make it half character level, so no, I don't. But that's just because I pretty much stick to WotC's format when I make classes. (With a few exceptions). If you feel it's necessary, go ahead. You'll end up with the same result, after all, just later. (At level 9, your DC would be 17+Dex instead of 19+Dex)

Keeper of Starlight · 07-14-2011, 11:11 AM

There we go, changed. I changed DCs to Class Level, switched Heal and Perform(Dance) in the prerequisites, making it easier for the Swordsage to get in, and switched Weapon Focus to Weapon Finesse, as the class relies on Dexterity so much. Any other ideas?

NeoSeraphi · 07-14-2011, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Πέρα από τον Ορ

There we go, changed. I changed DCs to Class Level, switched Heal and Perform(Dance) in the prerequisites, making it easier for the Swordsage to get in, and switched Weapon Focus to Weapon Finesse, as the class relies on Dexterity so much. Any other ideas?

Weapon Finesse applies to all weapons that it applies to. You don't take it for a specific weapon like Weapon Focus.

Keeper of Starlight · 07-14-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoSeraphi

Weapon Finesse applies to all weapons that it applies to. You don't take it for a specific weapon like Weapon Focus.

Aw, crap, I'm too tired for this...
Alright, there we go, fixed.

Welknair · 07-14-2011, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoSeraphi

Well, prestige classes never make it half character level, so no, I don't.

Check the Deepstone Sentinel. All of their saves are DC 10 + 1/2 character level + Str modifier.

For Stun Blade, why do you specify that the DR-passing ability stacks with Adamantine weapons, but not any other DR-passing ability? Stone Dragon is full of them. Normally these do not stack, which would imply that there is something special about Adamantine weapons that causes them to further enhance this Blade Art, but none such is given.

And why is it called a Spellblade if no spells are involved? When I first saw the name I thought it was going to be something along the lines of an Arcane Swordsage fix.

Aside from those, looks like a good class.

NeoSeraphi · 07-14-2011, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welknair

Check the Deepstone Sentinel. All of their saves are DC 10 + 1/2 character level + Str modifier.

Sounds like a dwarven class. Where is it?

Welknair · 07-14-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoSeraphi

Sounds like a dwarven class. Where is it?

It is Dwarven. It's also one of the few PrCs that are in the Tome of Battle.

The-Mage-King · 07-14-2011, 09:57 PM

Huh. Similar to my Parivir, but Dex based instead of Cha. And a level longer, too.

Ultra nifty.

Anyway, for saves, I'd base it on IL, not character level or class level. It makes it smoother to deal with, you know?

Welknair · 07-14-2011, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Mage-King

Anyway, for saves, I'd base it on IL, not character level or class level. It makes it smoother to deal with, you know?

Should have thought of that myself. Does make a lot more sense.

Keeper of Starlight · 07-15-2011, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welknair

For Stun Blade, why do you specify that the DR-passing ability stacks with Adamantine weapons, but not any other DR-passing ability? Stone Dragon is full of them. Normally these do not stack, which would imply that there is something special about Adamantine weapons that causes them to further enhance this Blade Art, but none such is given.

This is because abilities such as Stone Dragon boosts or strikes are based on smashing their enemy so hard they overcome DR. Effective, but not part of Stun Blade's effect. The Stun Blade pierces straight through DR, avoiding it instead of overcoming it, like Adamantine weapons do, making the two compatible. If the effect could pierce through most of a thick hide, the sword could push through the rest if made of Adamantine, but could not go partway in, and then smash through the rest with pure force. It makes sense to me, anyway, but I may remove it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welknair

And why is it called a Spellblade if no spells are involved? When I first saw the name I thought it was going to be something along the lines of an Arcane Swordsage fix.

I'll get to that in just one moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Mage-King

Huh. Similar to my Parivir, but Dex based instead of Cha. And a level longer, too.

One particularly short moment. This was somewhat intentional. This is why it's called Spellblade. I saw your Parivir, and I am a big fan of FF Tactics; I thought 'Hey, Spellblade's could work really well like this, too,' and felt inspired to make it so. I'm considering making a Fencer Base Class that would be compatible with this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Mage-King

Ultra nifty.

Anyway, for saves, I'd base it on IL, not character level or class level. It makes it smoother to deal with, you know?

Wow, I thought Ultra Nifty was reserved for major stuff.

Anyway, I like this Initiator Level idea, and I think I'll change it.

Thank you both for the great feedback.

The-Mage-King · 07-15-2011, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Πέρα από τον Ορ

One particularly short moment. This was somewhat intentional. This is why it's called Spellblade. I saw your Parivir, and I am a big fan of FF Tactics; I thought 'Hey, Spellblade's could work really well like this, too,' and felt inspired to make it so. I'm considering making a Fencer Base Class that would be compatible with this.

Well then, I'm flattered. It's nice to know my work has inspired someone else.

Quote:

Wow, I thought Ultra Nifty was reserved for major stuff.

Anyway, I like this Initiator Level idea, and I think I'll change it.

Thank you both for the great feedback.

Hey, it's a class that was inspired by FFTA(2?)! Of course it's ultra nifty!

Anyway, yeah. Saves at 10+1/2th IL+Dex is reasonable.

Prehaps I should work on creating more stuff from those games...

Maybe a Judge PrC...

Welknair · 07-15-2011, 09:43 AM

I almost forgot. You're missing the "General fluff" about the class. Would certainly help with understanding the name.

Keeper of Starlight · 07-15-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Mage-King

Prehaps I should work on creating more stuff from those games...

Maybe a Judge PrC...

I like that idea! Perhaps base it more on Judge Gabranth from FF XII, since he's such a badass anyway. I myself am working on a discipline based around the Fencer's techniques, and then make a Fencer class that uses that discipline, Desert Wind, Diamond Mind, and maybe Dancing Goddess (I'm still not sure about the reliability, but it just works with this class so well). I have a tendency to be good at modifying pre-existing work to make it fit into D&D, but not to make new stuff of my own (freaking Magitech, just unfair), so I think I might be working on FF, and maybe Golden Sun, quite a bit.

Welknair · 07-15-2011, 10:38 AM

Have you checked out the Age of Warriors? There's a pair of links in the OP's sig that lead to large spread sheets containing links to the majority of disciplines on these forums. They're a great source of material and for the most part balanced and properly formatted. I don't trust the D&D wiki. It's largely unregulated.

Keeper of Starlight · 07-15-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welknair

Have you checked out the Age of Warriors? There's a pair of links in the OP's sig that lead to large spread sheets containing links to the majority of disciplines on these forums. They're a great source of material and for the most part balanced and properly formatted. I don't trust the D&D wiki. It's largely unregulated.

Yeah, I know it's not great, but ... ugh. The problem is that this class is about dodging around other people's attacks and then hitting right back with something worse, and Dancing Goddess is just that. I suppose I could attempt replacing it with Setting Sun, but that's not based on grace, it's based on, well, pretty much Judo flips and the like, using their strength against them. I don't know... If you have any good ones fitting that description, I may change it, though.

Welknair · 07-15-2011, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Πέρα από τον Ορ

Yeah, I know it's not great, but ... ugh. The problem is that this class is about dodging around other people's attacks and then hitting right back with something worse, and Dancing Goddess is just that. I suppose I could attempt replacing it with Setting Sun, but that's not based on grace, it's based on, well, pretty much Judo flips and the like, using their strength against them. I don't know... If you have any good ones fitting that description, I may change it, though.

I wasn't saying that there's nothing useful on the wiki. Dancing Goddess looks just fine and it certainly seems to be an integral part of this PrC. I was just pointing out a potential resource for later projects.

Keeper of Starlight · 07-16-2011, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welknair

I wasn't saying that there's nothing useful on the wiki. Dancing Goddess looks just fine and it certainly seems to be an integral part of this PrC. I was just pointing out a potential resource for later projects.

Well, thank you for letting me know about it. I'm sure I'll be making several more ToB classes, so Age of Warriors is a really good resource.