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ErrantX
2009-02-06, 10:54 PM
Valenar Ancestral Blade

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/pgte_gallery/95054.jpg
Aya Half-Elven, Valenar Ancestral Blade

The elves of Valenar differ between their contemporary cousins on the island-nation of Aerenal by their ways of believing in ancestor worship. Where as the Aerenal keep their ancestors in existence by making them into deathless warriors and advisors, the Valenar practice ancestor emulation. Whereas the ancestors that the Valenar pay favor to are dead and gone, their spirits live on through their tales and through the heroic efforts of their descendants. All Valenar pay some homage to this in some respect or another, but then there are those who stand head and shoulders above their fellows in their emulation, those who’s very spirit sings and hums with the favor of their semi-divine ancestors and who the living incarnations of them. They are few, but they are strong and aptly named Ancestral Blades.

By living one’s life to the dictates of their ancestor, a Valenar can find great amounts of other-worldly power in tracing the steps that their forefathers walked and accomplishing (and sometimes even outshining) deeds similar to their departed heroes. Barbarians, fighters, paladins, crusaders, warblades, and rangers are the most common source for members of this prestige class, with the occasional swordsage, cleric, sorcerer or wizard (matching arcane or divine power with mundane steel). Bards bring many welcome features to the table, namely with their bardic knowledge and bardic music abilities. Rogues can also find much in this class to enjoy as well, but they’re not generally the most common sources.
Hit Die: d8

Requirements:

To qualify to be an Ancestral Blade, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Race: Valenar elf (on occasion a Valenar-blooded half-elf has managed to attract an ancestor’s notice).
Alignment: Any non-evil, must be same alignment as ancestor (Special Code)
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Feats: Heroic Spirit, Mounted Combat, Weapon Focus (Scimitar) or Weapon Focus (Valenar Double Scimitar) or Weapon Focus (Valenar falchion).
Skills: Intimidate 8 ranks, Knowledge (History) 4 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks, Ride 8 ranks.
Maneuvers: Ability to initiate 2nd level maneuvers, including one 2nd level strike (or better).
Special: The character perform an act or quest that their chosen ancestor has done before them (Example: if a hero of old slew fifty goblinoids in a single battle by himself, then his descendant must do something of this nature as well) to attract the ancestor’s spirit.

Ancestral Blade
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+2|Manifest weapon, lesser hero's blade

2nd|
+2|
+0|
+0|
+3|Image of my ancestor, ancestral knowledge

3rd|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+3|Hero's steed

4th|
+4|
+1|
+1|
+4|Spirit steed 1/day

5th|
+5|
+1|
+1|
+4|Greater hero's blade

6th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+5|Bonus fighter feat

7th|
+7|
+2|
+2|
+5|Spirit steed 3/day

8th|
+8|
+2|
+2|
+6|Bonus fighter feat

9th|
+9|
+3|
+3|
+6|True hero's blade

10th|
+10|
+3|
+3|
+7|Ancestral steed, incarnation of old[/table]
Maneuvers
{table=head]Level|Known|Readied|Stances
1st|
1|
0|
0

2nd|
0|
0|
0

3rd|
1|
1|
1

4th|
0|
0|
0

5th|
1|
0|
0

6th|
0|
1|
0

7th|
1|
0|
0

8th|
0|
0|
1

9th|
1|
1|
0

10th|
0|
0|
0[/table]

Class Skills:
The Ancestral Blade’s class skills (and the key abilities of each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ancestral Blades are proficient with all simple weapons and martial weapons. They gain no new proficiencies in any armors or shields.

Maneuvers: At each odd level, the ancestral blade gains new maneuvers known from the Desert Wind, Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, and Tiger Claw disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your ancestral blade levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level you gain an additional maneuver readied per day.

Stances Known: At 3rd and 8th level you learn a new martial stance from the Desert Wind, Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, and Tiger Claw disciplines. You must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.

Manifest Weapon (Su): The Ancestral Blade has, after achieving his quest or battle to show his devotion to his ancestor, the character learns to create a blade of divine power. (A move action is needed to manifest the blade, if disarmed then weapon dissolves into harmless smoke and can be manifested again on the player's next turn. The weapon can be sundered as if it were a weapon of steel of the appropriate type, and if sundered can be manifested again on the player's next turn. The Quick Draw feat can be applied to this manifestation.) Through this weapon does the power of old flow, allowing the Ancestral Blade to access his hero’s blade class features. The potency of the weapon’s power is stronger depending on how strong and forceful of personality the Valenar who manifests is. The weapon is considered in all ways to be a magic weapon (of the same type as the character has Weapon Focus in), its magical modifier equal to the Valenar’s Charisma modifier up to half of the character’s Ancestral Blade levels to a maximum of +5. (Example: A character with 16 Charisma (modifier +3) would at level one have only a modifier of +1, at level six would have a modifier of +3, and at level 8 would still only have +3 (unless the character’s Charisma score had increased.) The Ancestral Blade must spend time every day to pray to their ancestor to continue to enjoy this benefit and the other benefits of the class, equal roughly twenty minutes of prayer (this can be done while regaining spells from other classes, if any). Spells that affect magic, such as dispel magic and anti-magic field affect the Ancestral Blade's hero's blade to a reduced effect, being able to make a Will save vs. a DC equal to the caster level (caster level + spell casting modifier + applicable feats and special abilities) to remain functional. Failure means that the hero's blade is nullified and must wait until either the spell's duration is over to manifest the weapon again.

Lesser Hero’s Blade (Su): The Valenar who has become favored by their ancestor can call upon their martial and spiritual power to guide them. Their manifested weapon glitters with the power of old and the ancestor allows his power to be used. The weapon functions as if it were a good-aligned, keen weapon.

Image of My Ancestor (Su): When the Valenar draws his zaelta - spirit veil, across his features to do battle, he personifies his ancestor and all the power of beyond. The Valenar gains sacred bonus to Intimidation equal to his Ancestral Blade level. The character also becomes immune to fear.

Ancestral Knowledge (Su): The character gains access to the bardic knowledge class feature (bonus being Ancestral Blade levels and Wisdom modifier) by meditating for a full five minutes and praying to one’s ancestor. At the end of this duration, make a bardic knowledge check relating to elven or Valaes Tairn history and the history of the character’s ancestor that said ancestor would know.

Hero’s Steed (Ex): The character may select an animal companion of a light Valenar warhorse (as a druid equal to half his Ancestral Blade level). If the character already has an animal companion class feature (such as a ranger’s animal companion or a paladin’s special mount) then the character’s Ancestral Blade levels count towards the abilities and strength of the animal, provided it is a warhorse of some variety.

Spirit Steed (Sp): The character can cast spirit steed on his mount as a cleric of his class level at the listed amount of times per day.

Greater Hero’s Blade (Su): The Ancestral Blade’s communion with his ancestor strengthens, and the character’s hero’s blade deals an extra 2d6 points of damage to evil creatures, or an extra 2d8 points of damage to evil outsiders and undead.

Bonus Fighter Feat: At 6th level and again at 9th level, the Valenar ancestral blade may select a bonus fighter feat for which he qualifies.

True Hero’s Blade (Su): The power of the ancestors hums within the elven warrior who has achieved this level of closeness with the past. When the hero’s blade scores a critical hit, the weapon deals an additional 2d10 points of damage to evil creatures or an additional 2d12 points of damage to evil outsiders and undead (This damage is in lieu of the additional damage done on a regular hit. Also, as the weapon multiplier in damage doesn’t apply to undead, this extra damage still does apply).

Ancestral Steed (Su): The powers of the ancestors have infused the Ancestral Blade’s steed so much that the power has ennobled the horse, empowering it with the spirit steed spell permanently. This ability replaces the character’s ability to use spirit steed as a spell-like ability.

Incarnation of Old (Su): When a character in this class reaches 10th level, the character’s hero’s blade is perfected, as is his emulation of his ancestor. At this level, the character’s hero’s blade, when a critical hit is scored, the weapon blinds and deafens the opponent for 1d4 rounds (a successful Will save negates the blindness. Will save DC is equal to character level + charisma modifier). Spell resistance applies. If the critical hit was scored against an evil outsider, then the create must make a successful Will save or be instantly banished back to its home plan. If banished, the outsider cannot return for at least 24 hours. Spell resistance also applies to this effect.

Special Code: The Valenar must maintain a code of conduct in accordance to his ancestor’s alignment to perfect his emulation. If the Valenar deviates from it, he will lose his connection to his ancestor and his power will be withdrawn until an atonement spell is cast and a quest must be undertaken. The DM and the player should go over what the character’s ancestor was like to provide an adequate portrayal and standard to which the player’s character must be held to, along with unique things about the ancestor and his deeds that makes them so worth emulating.

(Special Note: The manifested weapon does count as a Magic Weapon as far as the Exalted feat Vow of Poverty. Also, this weapon cannot be upgraded/enhanced by any permanent means, such as taking the Kensai class to add magical abilities to the blade. The manifested hero’s blade is the only thing this weapon can be. Temporary spells, such as greater magic weapon can still temporarily enhance the weapon.)

---
The spells hero's blade and spirit steed can be found in the Eberron Campaign Setting.

-X

Krimm_Blackleaf
2009-02-06, 11:10 PM
Oh... oh my...

I want to make am Aerenal eternal blade PrC now...

ErrantX
2009-02-06, 11:13 PM
Oh... oh my...

I want to make am Aerenal eternal blade PrC now...

Well go do it! :D

-X