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The Demented One
2009-01-23, 10:24 PM
Blade Operant

”No, no, I’m serious. They have some sort of secret, more like brainwashing than training. One day you’re just an average guy, but once they get to you, you’re just an empty shell, all you can do is kill. I swear, my best mate got killed by one of the bastards after he tried to rob the guy...”
–Cyril Dogtongue, Drunkard and Rumormonger

”The conditioning will only improve on what’s already their, hone your reflexes and speed. It is almost unnerving, seeing your sword striking out before you even think to draw it, but you will grow to appreciate it. What? No, of course not, the training can not force you to do anything against your wishes. When do we begin? Why, I just finished.”
–Alsain Remarque, Blade Operant Trainer

”My gods, he was just one man with a pair of knives, in a uniform no nation claims...he looked half-asleep, his eyes a thousand yards off, and still he cut down a whole platoon with no more care than a child twirling a tree-branch.”
–Vergil Marcus, War Veteran

”We are the secret that must never be told, the shadow that must never be seen. The talent instilled in each of us is the last and surest bulwark civilization has, and our blades are its only faithful guardians. You will be asked to do things both noble and horrific, virtuous and unthinkable...but were it not for you, mankind would be huddled around dying fires in the dark.”
–Lord Septimal, Blade Operant Grandmaster

”What did I just do?”
–Lucien Blackleaf, newly initiated Blade Operant

Hit Dice
d10

Requirements
To qualify to become an Blade Operant, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
BAB: +6
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Skills: Escape Artist 12 ranks, Jump 12 ranks, Sleight of Hand 4 ranks
Maneuvers: Must know at least one maneuver from the Dancing Leaf (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85614), Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54816), or Tiger Claw disciplines.
Special: Must be instilled with the Blade Operant training, a procedure which can be performed by any Blade Operant and which takes an hour. They exact nature of the Blade Operant training, and whether it is a benign instilling of skills or a brainwashing procedure, is left to the DM to decide, as is the true nature of the society behind the Blade Operants.

Class Skills
The Blade Operant’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers[br]Known|Maneuvers[br]Readied|Stances[br]Known

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Martial Reflexes|
0|
0|
0

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Uncanny Footwork|
1|
0|
0

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Beguiling Steel|
1|
0|
0

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Fell Strike|
2|
1|
0

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Scathing Attack|
2|
1|
0

6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+2|Flow Like Blood|
3|
1|
1

7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+2|Ruthless Swashbuckler|
3|
2|
1

8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+2|Sublime Grace|
4|
2|
1

9th|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+3|Lethal Reflexes|
4|
2|
1

10th|
+10|
+7|
+7|
+3|Legendary Duelist|
5|
2|
1[/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Blade Operant prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers
At each even-numbered level, you gain one new maneuver known from the Dancing Leaf (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85614), Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54816), or Tiger Claw disciplines. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it. You add your full Blade Operant level to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and the highest level of maneuver you can learn. If you have levels in an initiator class that allows you to exchange out maneuvers at certain levels, your Blade Operant levels stack with your levels in that class for determining when you may exchange maneuvers. At 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, you gain an additional maneuver readied each day.

Stances
At 6th level, you gain a new martial stance known from the Dancing Leaf (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85614), Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54816), or Tiger Claw disciplines. You must meet a stance’s prerequisites to learn it.

Martial Reflexes (Ex)
As long as you are in a martial stance, you gain the benefits of the blood in the water stance and are treated as being in it. If you are already in the blood in the water stance, the benefits you gain from it do not stack with those from this ability.

Uncanny Footwork (Ex)
At 2nd level, your steps fall without you even thinking, guiding you across the battlefield. Once per round, when you confirm a critical hit on a melee attack during your turn, you may take a 5 ft. step. If your bonus on attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance is greater than +4, then you may instead use this ability two times per round.

Beguiling Steel (Ex)
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to feint in combat as a move action. In addition, when feinting with a light weapon or any other weapon the Weapon Finesse applies to, you may add your Intelligence modifier or Wisdom modifier, whichever is higher, in addition to your Charisma modifier, to the Bluff check made to feint.

Fell Strike (Ex)
At 4th level, you rely on precise, reflexive blows over clumsy assaults. Whenever you would make multiple attacks with a weapon as part of a full attack or a martial maneuver, you may choose to forgo all but one, made at your highest base attack bonus. If you do, that weapon’s critical threat range for that attack increases by one for every attack forgone, and gain a bonus on all confirmation rolls equal to twice the number of attacks forgone. The increase to threat range from this ability stacks with other abilities that increase threat range, such as the keen edge spell or the Improved Critical feat, but the increase to your threat range is not multiplied by them.

Scathing Attack (Ex)
At 5th level, you menace your foes with witty quips, shouted threats, or simply a menacing glare, a cultivated mien of terror instilled by your operant training. Whenever you confirm a critical hit on a melee attack during your turn, the enemy you damaged must make a Will save, DC 10 + 1/2 your initiator level + your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier, or be shaken for the duration of the encounter. If your bonus on attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance is greater than +8, then they automatically fail the save. This does not stack with other fear effects.

Flow Like Blood (Ex)
At 6th level, your swordsmanship is an impenetrable bulwark beyond your control, raining devastating counterattacks down on your foes. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you, you may take an immediate action to use this ability. If you do, their attack provokes an attack of opportunity from you. Using this ability decreases the bonus to attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance by one. You cannot use this ability if you are not in the blood in the water stance or if your bonus from it is less than +1.

Ruthless Swashbuckler (Ex)
At 7th level, you can dispatch foes with almost casual, nonchalant ease. You may take 10 on any attack roll made to confirm a critical hit. If your bonus on attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance is greater than +12, then you may instead take 20 on the attack roll.

Sublime Grace (Ex)
At 8th level, you can escape from even the direst of dangers, rescued by your instilled training. Whenever you would make a saving throw, you may take an immediate action to use this ability. If you do, you do not roll, and are instead treated as having rolled a 20 (although this does not cause you to automatically succeed on the save). Using this ability decreases the bonus to attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance by four. You cannot use this ability if you are not in the blood in the water stance or if your bonus from it is less than +4.

Lethal Reflexes (Ex)
At 9th level, your operant training guides your blade to do what no conscious warrior could, finding out weak points no mortal eye could discern. Any melee attack you make ignores any immunity or resistance to critical hits the creature you attack might have. However, if you threaten a critical hit against a creature that is immune to critical hits (but not one that only has resistance), you take a -4 penalty on the confirmation roll. This ability does not allow you to deal sneak attack, sudden strike, or any other form of precision damage to creatures immune to critical hits.

Legendary Swordsman (Ex)
At 10th level, your training makes you a swordsman beyond rival, capable of holding your own against even the gods. Whenever you confirm a critical hit on a melee attack during your turn, you may take a swift action to either initiate any martial maneuver with an initiation action of one standard action or less, or to recover all of your expended maneuvers. If your bonus on attack and damage rolls from the blood in the water stance is greater than +12, then using this ability does not require a swift action (but you can still only use it once per round).

TheLogman
2009-01-23, 10:35 PM
Looks very nice. Mostly Speed and Charisma I gather, a fast and strong, hardhitting.

When do they take away my name and give me a number? I can see how you built the class, but I'm wondering about the more subtle things. Disguise? Hiding? Lose your Name? Immunity to Truespeak?

Or is the shadiness in the organization and not the people? Nobody knows who commands them, nobody knows where their Headquarters are?

The Demented One
2009-01-23, 11:21 PM
When do they take away my name and give me a number? I can see how you built the class, but I'm wondering about the more subtle things. Disguise? Hiding? Lose your Name? Immunity to Truespeak?

Or is the shadiness in the organization and not the people? Nobody knows who commands them, nobody knows where their Headquarters are?
The precise nature of what's up with the Blade Operants is up the DM–they could be anything from world-saving, noble assassins to a league of brainwashed Manchurian agents. Whatever it is, it's a secret. I probably wouldn't give them supernatural protections of their secrecy, but if that's how they work out in their game, go for it.

Stycotl
2009-01-24, 02:03 AM
sweet class, i'm a little worried about the repercussions of the capstone, but don't have anything specific in mind. just seems a little open to me...

other than that though, this is gold.