kahdnd: Swordsage

Swordsage
Home > Clas s es > Bas e Clas s es > Swords age

A mas ter of martial maneuvers , the s words age is a phys ical adept—a blade wizard whos e knowledge of the Sublime Way lets
him unlock potent abilities , many of which are overtly s upernatural or magical in nature. Depending on which dis ciplines he
choos es to s tudy, a s words age might be capable of walking through walls , leaping dozens of feet into the air, s hattering
boulders with a s ingle touch, or even mas tering the elements of fire or s hadow. Whatever his s pecific training, a s words age
blurs the line between martial prowes s and magical s kill.

Des pite his s pectacular combat moves , a s words age is not a typical front-line melee combatant. Although a fighter,
barbarian, or warblade might s wing a s word more accurately, or with greater force, a s words age depends on his repertoire
of martial s trikes and s tances . This character is als o not intended to be a replacement for an arcane s pellcas ter, even
though he can create a number of s hort-range area effects . A s words age’s role within an adventuring party is n’t eas ily defi
ned, but his combination of maneuverability, s upernatural power, and martial arts is us eful in almos t any encounter.

Abilities
Dexterity and Wis dom are crucial to a s words age.
Since he wears only light armor, he mus t rely on agility and s hrewdnes s to avoid attacks , and as s uch his Armor Clas s is
augmented by his Wis dom modifier as well as his Dexterity
modifier. A s words age can get along with an average Wis dom s core, but to excel, he wants a good Wis dom bonus . Since a
s words age often engages in melee, Strength is als o important—although he can us e the Weapon Fines s e feat to overcome a
low Strength s core, and his array of martial s trikes can make up for any lack of damage potential. Intelligence helps a
s words age mas ter the s kills neces s ary to continue progres s ing along the path of the Nine Swords , and Cons titution is as
important to him as it is to any character.

Races
Mos t s words ages are humans . It is not uncommon for members of other races to take up the path, though dwarves and
gnomes rarely do. Dwarves are too firmly grounded to adapt eas ily to the as cetic lifes tyle s words ages often favor, and the
few dwarf s words ages who do exis t typically focus on the Stone Dragon dis cipline. Gnomes fi nd mos t s words ages s ingularly
humorles s , although members of this race occas ionally take up the dis cipline of the Setting Sun, becaus e they unders tand
better than mos t how weaknes s
can be turned to s trength. Half-orcs account for a s urpris ing number of s words ages , es pecially in the more warlike
dis ciplines of Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw. Members of this race are well s uited to endure the diffi cult phys ical regimen of
s tudy and practice that thes e dis ciplines require.

Alignment
A s words age can choos e any alignment. The s tudy of the Sublime Way is its own end, and whether any particular s tudent
choos es to employ what he has learned in the s ervice of good, evil, law, or chaos is not cons idered s ignificant by mos t who
follow this path. Accordingly, a typical s words age has at leas t one neutral component in his alignment, repres enting a certain
detachment from worldly matters . Good s words ages tend to be free-roaming champions of the weak and downtrodden. The
les s commonplace evil s words ages believe that their mas tery of the martial arts has made them s uperior to everyone
around them.

Starting Gold
4d4×10 (100 gp).

Starting Age
As monk.

Hit Die
d8
Class Skills
Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (his tory), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature),
Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Lis ten, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Profes s ion, Ride, Sens e Motive, Swim, Tumble.

Skill Points at 1st Level

6 + Int modifier ×6

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

6 + Int modifier

BAB Fort Ref Will Special Manuevers Maneuvers Stances

Known Readied Known

1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Quick to act +1, dis cipline focus (Weapon Focus ) 6 4 1

2 +1 +0 +3 +3 AC bonus 7 4 2
3 +2 +1 +3 +3 — 8 5 2
4 +3 +1 +4 +4 Dis cipline focus (ins ightful s trike) 9 5 2
5 +3 +1 +4 +4 Quick to act +2 10 6 3
6 +4 +2 +5 +5 — 11 6 3
7 +5 +2 +5 +5 Sens e magic 12 6 3
8 +6/+1 +2 +6 +6 Dis cipline focus (defens ive s tance) 13 7 3
9 +6/+1 +3 +6 +6 Evas ion 14 7 4
10 +7/+2 +3 +7 +7 Quick to act +3 15 8 4
11 +8/+3 +3 +7 +7 — 16 8 4
12 +9/+4 +4 +8 +8 Dis cipline focus (ins ightful s trike) 17 8 4
13 +10/+5 +4 +8 +8 — 18 9 4
14 +10/+5 +4 +9 +9 — 19 9 5
15 +11/+6/+1 +5 +9 +9 Quick to act +4 20 10 5
16 +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +10 Dis cipline focus (defens ive s tance) 21 10 5
17 +13/+8/+5 +5 +10 +10 Improved evas ion 22 10 5
18 +13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +11 — 23 11 5
19 +14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +11 — 24 11 5
20 +15//+10/+5 +6 +12 +12 Dual boos t 3/day, quick to act +5 25 12 6
Class Features
Of all three martial adept clas s es , s words ages learn and can ready the mos t maneuvers . This advantage gives them
unparalleled vers atility in a given encounter. In one battle, a s words age might fulfi ll the role of the rogue, lurking in s hadows
and s triking when foes are leas t prepared. In another, he might be s corching enemies with area attacks , much like a wizard.
In s till another fi ght, he might tear an enemy apart with his bare hands , matching a barbarian’s ferocity with his own
dis tinctive s tyle of bloodthirs tines s . Whatever the occas ion, a s words age is able to contribute, often in completely unexpected
ways .

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

As a s words age, you are proficient with s imple weapons , martial melee weapons (including thos e that can be us ed as thrown
weapons ), and light armor, but not with s hields .

Maneuvers
You begin your career with knowledge of s ix martial maneuvers . The dis ciplines available to you are Des ert Wind, Diamond
Mind, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw. Once you know a maneuver, you mus t ready it before you
can us e it (s ee Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver us able by s words ages is cons idered an extraordinary ability unles s
otherwis e noted in its des cription. Your maneuvers are not affected by s pell res is tance, and you do not provoke attacks of
opportunity when you initiate one. You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels . You mus t meet a maneuver’s
prerequis ite to learn it. Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered s words age level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and
s o on), you can choos e to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you los e the old maneuver in
exchange for the new one. You can choos e a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you obs erve your res triction on
the highes t-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the s ame level. For
example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a s ingle 1s t-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th
level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequis ite of the new maneuver. You can s wap only a s ingle maneuver at any given
level.

Maneuvers Readied
You can ready four of your s ix maneuvers known at 1s t level, and as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers , you
are able to ready more, but you mus t s till choos e which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by meditating and
exercis ing for 5 minutes . The maneuvers you choos e remain readied until you decide to meditate again and change them.
You need not s leep or res t for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers ; any time you s pend 5 minutes in meditation,
you can change your readied maneuvers . You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardles s of
how many times you might have already us ed them s ince you chos e them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for
the current encounter, s o each of your readied maneuvers can be us ed once per encounter (unles s you recover them, as
des cribed below). You can recover an expended maneuver by us ing a fullround action to quickly meditate. Doing this does not
provoke attacks of opportunity. If you complete your meditation, you can choos e one expended maneuver to refres h. It is now
available for us e in a s ubs equent round.

Stances Known
You begin play with knowledge of one 1s t-level s tance from any dis cipline open to you. At 2nd, 5th, 9th, 14th, and 20th level,
you can choos e additional s tances . Unlike maneuvers , s tances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the
s tances you know are available to you at all times , and you can change the s tance you currently us e as a s wift action. A
s tance is an extraordinary ability unles s otherwis e s tated in the s tance des cription. Unlike with maneuvers , you cannot learn
a new s tance at higher levels in place of one you already know.

AC Bonus
Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Wis dom modifi er as a bonus to Armor Clas s , s o long as you wear light armor, are
unencumbered, and do not us e a s hield. This bonus to AC applies even agains t touch attacks or when you are flat-footed.
However, you los e this bonus when you are immobilized or helples s .

Discipline Focus (Ex):

As a s words age, you can focus your training to take advantage of each dis cipline’s fighting s tyle. Each time you gain the
dis cipline focus ability, s elect one of the s ix s words age dis ciplines to which that focus applies . You can s elect a different
dis cipline each time you gain dis cipline focus , but you mus t know at leas t one martial maneuver from the s elected dis cipline.
Even if you s elect a different dis cipline at higher levels , your dis cipline choice for earlier abilities does not change. This focus
manifes ts in the following ways .
Weapon Focus: At 1s t level, you gain the benefit of the Weapon Focus feat for weapons as s ociated with the chos en
dis cipline.
Insightful Strikes: At 4th level, you can add your Wis dom modifier as a bonus on damage rolls whenever you execute
a s trike from the chos en dis cipline. At 12th level, you can choos e a s econd dis cipline to which this ability applies .
Defensive Stance: At 8th level, you gain a +2 bonus on s aving throws whenever you adopt a s tance from the chos en
dis cipline. At 16th level, you can choos e a s econd dis cipline to which this ability applies .
You gain a +2 bonus on Martial Lore checks made regarding a maneuver in a dis cipline in which you have dis cipline
focus .

Quick to Act (Ex):

You gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks . This bonus increas es by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level.

Sense Magic (Su):

Beginning at 7th level, you can s pend 10 minutes focus ing upon a weapon or s uit of armor. If you s ucceed on a level check
(DC 10 + the cas ter level of the weapon or armor), you can identify the properties of that item, including its enhancement
bonus and s pecial abilities . This ability does not reveal the properties of artifacts or legacy weapons , though it does indicate
that s uch items are s ignificantly powerful.

Evasion (Ex):
At 9th level, you can avoid even magical and unus ual attacks with great agility. If you make a s ucces s ful Reflex s aving throw
agains t an attack that normally deals damage on a s ucces s ful s ave, you ins tead take no damage. Evas ion can be us ed only if
you are wearing light armor or no armor. If you are helples s , you do not gain the benefit of evas ion.

Improved Evasion (Ex):

From 17th level on, you gain the benefit of improved evas ion. You s till take no damage if you make a s ucces s ful Refl ex s ave
agains t an attack, and even if you fail the Reflex s ave, you take only half damage from the attack. If you are helples s , you do
not gain the benefit of improved evas ion.

Dual Boost (Ex):

When you reach 20th level, you can us e two boos t maneuvers s imultaneous ly. Whenever you initiate a boos t maneuver, you
can als o initiate any other boos t maneuver that you know as a free action. Both boos ts you initiate are expended normally.
You can us e this ability three times per day.

Playing a Swordsage
To you, a s word is not s imply a s harpened length of s teel. It is the wis dom of the s mith, the fire of the forge, and the s houts
and ringing blows of your battles . It is your teacher and your s tudent, your life and your death. When your mind is tempered
like the blade, no feat of combat prowes s is beyond you. You can run on the weapons of your foes , s trike an enemy uns een,
and flip ins ouciantly away from the frus trated ripos te. Through it all, you s eek to unders tand the s ecret knowledge of combat.
Every blow is a revelation, and every wound an apocalyps e. In the end, you and your s word are nothing without each other.
You and your fellow s words ages adventure for a plethora of reas ons . Neither the religious fervor of the crus ader nor the
honor ques t of the warblade caus es you to travel the world. More than faith, more than glory, you s eek truth. Whether you
find that truth in the burbling acid s wamps s outh of the Deluge Jungle, in a s creeching jungle harpy roos t, or in the gullet of a
purple worm, you are driven to uncover it, learn it, and mas ter it.

Religion
Religion might be entirely immaterial to you, or you might find comfort in the exis tence of the Upper (or Lower) Planes . If you
are among the minority of s words ages who revere a deity, you wors hip one who is remote and generally refrains from
meddling in the lives of mortals . Boccob the Uncaring is a favorite among your fellow s words ages . A few, however, choos e to
wors hip the Shalm, Obad-Hai, becaus e his neutrality aligns well with the s words age notion that the truth of s teel is not what
you want it to be, but s imply what it is .

Other Classes
You have learned to look pas t the profes s ion and s ee the individual, finding more truth in a pers on’s deeds than in her
abilities . Once you have as certained the meas ure of her s oul, you cons ider her profes s ion and s kills . You prize other martial
adepts —es pecially other s words ages —as friends and allies , both for their combat prowes s and for their ability to play to
each other’s s trengths . Flanking rogues are als o valuable allies in battle. Clerics and arcane cas ters are invaluable
companions , but you res ent s pell cas ters who cas t area s pells , wall s pells , or s imilar dweomers that alter the battlefield and
limit your mobility and options .

Combat
Rather than rus hing into combat with the mindles s rage of a barbarian or the foolhardy courage of a warblade, you as s es s
your opponents and try to achieve tactical s upremacy through pos ition and martial maneuvers . Your lack of armor proficiency
means that you are bes t s uited to a s kirmis h-s tyle attack—one in which you can us e your high mobility to flank an enemy and
s trike hard and fas t. However, you are perfectly capable of s tanding toe to talon with vrocks and wyverns when neces s ary,
parrying fang with blade and us ing your martial maneuvers to cut a path through your enemy’s front ranks . You have acces s
to an amazing array of powerful martial maneuvers . You have exclus ive acces s to the Des ert Wind, Shadow Hand, and Setting
Sun dis ciplines , and you would do well to learn at leas t s ome maneuvers from thes e. You have the greates t range of
maneuvers of any martial adept, s o you s hould have multiple s trikes , counters , s tances , and boos ts available after jus t a few
levels in the clas s .

Advancement
Your training began when you won an apprentices hip with a mentor—either an individual hermit s words age or an ins tructor at
an ancient s words age temple dating back to the Battle of the Shadow Tiger Horde. You knew that winning a s words age
apprentices hip would not be eas y—that in fact, it would be an ordeal des igned to tes t your worth in s ome unus ual way. The
mas ters of the Harad Devin Temple are known to make the young boys and girls wis hing to undertake training wait in the
courtyard for s eas ons on end, through rain, s now, and the acid cloud s torms of reth dekala attacks . Occas ionally the
mas ters might s end a pot of porridge to the courtyard for the as pirants , and even more occas ionally—never more than once
per s eas on—they s elect one child to enter through the Ivory and Horn Gates . The Eighty Empres s es have a different s election
proces s for their protégés . The mas ters bring each young lady s eparately into the Dres s ing Room of Opala I, whos e walls ,
mirrors , incens e lamps , pots of rouge, and s ongbird cages are draped with 1,080 s himmering gold, red, pink, orange, and
fuchs ia s ilk ribbons . The girl is allowed to s tay as long as s he likes in the dres s ing room; s he has but to give a s ignal when
s he is ready to leave. After s he is led away, one ribbon is removed from the room. Then s he is brought back. If s he can
name the color of the ribbon that was removed, s he is accepted; otherwis e, s he is turned away forever. As a s words age,
your s election of dis ciplines and martial maneuvers is paramount to your s ucces s . You might choos e to focus on maneuvers
from a s ingle dis cipline, but learning a few maneuvers from the other s chools is almos t always advis able. True s ucces s in
combat requires a wide variety of martial maneuvers .

Swordsages in the World

The pontificating reclus e, the wandering mys tic, the martial s cholar—all thes e and more are s words ages . Thes e martial
adepts bring a combination of mental acumen and phys ical prowes s to the world. With a potential to advance in a number of
different directions —offens ive, defens ive, s upport, and quick-s trike—they make excellent additions to adventuring parties .
When the campaign action veers out of the dungeon and into the royal courts , darkened chambers , and diplomatic halls of the
kingdom, a s words age’s inclination toward intellectual purs uits and his natural role as a s cholar—martial and otherwis e—
allow him to remain a s trong contributor to the party.

Daily Life
A s words age s pends the majority of his time perfecting his art. The mental and s piritual demands of the Sublime Way require
cons tant attention, s o he can s pare little time for carous ing. Art in all its forms is often a pas s ion for s words ages . Many find
refres hment and a wells pring of s trength in the arts of s culpting, painting, poetry, calligraphy, rock-s tacking, or illus ory
patterns . A s words age with an apprentice s pends much of his time training his s tudent. A s words age without an apprentice
might or might not s pend time s eeking one out, according to his whims .

Notables
Opala I, the Empres s Incarnadine and founder of the Eighty Empres s es , was a s words age. Known as much for her wis dom,
her dance, and her ribbons as for her s words , s he is regarded by many as the prototypical s words age—s erene, pois ed, and
deadly. Modern notable s words ages include the Sage of Snow and Shadow, who lives at the peak of one of the Suns pires
near Kos htra Amnorn, and Skurrgh, a half-orc pariah who is s hunned by his native tribe for ques tioning the unmitigated war
frenzy dictated by the s hamans of He Who Watches . Skurrgh is pres ently looking for an apprentice but has yet to find one he
cons iders s uitable. Many of the more dedicated as pirants prefer to wait in the rain and s now outs ide the Harad Devin Temple
rather than ris k their training on a rogue half-orc.

Organizations
The Harad Devin Temple has recruited and trained s words ages for centuries . Many of its alumni wear intricate tattoos or
brands on the ins ide of their forearms that record fragments of the order’s his tory. It is s aid that if all the s ages of the Harad
Devin Temple were to line up, one could read the entire his tory of the Suns pire Mountains and Deluge Jungle regions from
their tattoos , and that their brands are s igils that can unlock a s pell of epic proportions .