zugschef
2009-03-22, 10:07 AM
This is a rebuild of Jaerom Darkwind's (http://forums.gleemax.com/member.php?u=166775) Blade Scholar (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=948233).
The following rules are in addition (Signature Maneuver and Unpredictable Warrior feats) to or replace (all of the class features, other blade scholar specific feats) Jaerom Darkwind's original work. Some parts were left unchanged (such as the specifics on how to copy maneuvers in your combat manual, for instance) and thus are not mentioned here. Please see Jaerom Darkwind's original work (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=948233) for these parts.
THE BLADE SCHOLAR (REBUILD)
INDEX
1. Table 1-1: The Blade Scholar (Rebuild)
2. Class Features
3. Feat List
4. Multiclassing
5. Rebuilding Notes
1. TABLE 1-1: THE BLADE SCHOLAR (REBUILD)
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Class Abilities|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Scribe martial script|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|AC bonus|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|1st Internalized maneuver|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Bonus feat|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|+3|+1|+4|+4|2nd Internalized maneuver|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|+4|+2|+5|+5|Favoured martial weapon|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|+5|+2|+5|+5|3rd Internalized maneuver|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-
8th|+6/+1|+2|+6|+6|Bonus feat|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
9th|+6/+1|+3|+6|+6|4th Internalized maneuver|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-
10th|+7/+2|+3|+7|+7|Sophisticated initiating|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
11th|+8/+3|+3|+7|+7|5th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
12th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Bonus feat|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-
13th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|6th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-
14th|+10/+5|+4|+9|+9|Cunning strikes|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+9|+9|7th internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Bonus feat|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|8th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|Weapon skill|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|9th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|Calculated counterstrike|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Hit Die: D8.
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Decipher Script, Forgery, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history, local, nobility and royalty, + any one), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Perform (weapon drill), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spot, Swim, Tumble.
2. CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a blade scholar, you are proficient with the favored weapons of the nine disciplines of the Sublime Way, namely the bastard sword , battleaxe, claw, dagger, dwarven waraxe , falchion, greataxe, greatclub, greatsword, halberd, handaxe, heavy mace, kama, kukri, light mace, light pick, longsword, maul, nunchaku, quarterstaff, rapier, sai, scimitar, shortspear, short sword, siangham, spear, trident, two-bladed sword , and warhammer. You are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
* Martial weapon proficiency only.
** You may wield the two-bladed sword without penalty, unless you use the two-weapon fighting options. In this case you need to take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, if you want to avoid the usual -4 penalty on attack rolls for wielding a weapon with which you are not proficient.
Maneuvers: A blade scholar has an entirely different access to maneuvers than the crusader, swordsage or warblade. While those classes simply know their maneuvers, a blade scholar records them in his so-called combat manual (see below). She may record any number of maneuvers from any discipline as long as she fulfills the maneuver's prerequisites (see Combat Manual, below). In order to initiate a maneuver, the blade scholar must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the maneuver level (Int 11 for 1st-level maneuvers, Int 12 for 2nd-level maneuvers and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a blade scholar’s maneuver is 10 + the maneuver level + your modifier of the ability indicated in the maneuver's description.
Once you have recorded a maneuver in your combat manual, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by blade scholars is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one. You can only initiate a maneuver if you are wielding a weapon associated with its discipline (see Tome of Battle, Chapter 4, pp. 40-42); at least until you gain the Favoured Martial Weapon ability at 5th level.
A blade scholar's initiator level is equal to her class level. Levels in other classes increase her initiator level by one-half and you add your full martial prestige class levels to your blade scholar levels as normal, but this does not grant her to record and initiate maneuvers and stances of higher level. See the second posting below for more specific details on multiclassing. Her ability to initiate and record maneuvers derives from her levels in the blade scholar class only. See Table 1-1 above to determine the highest-level maneuvers you have access to.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready one of your 1st level maneuvers in your combat manual at 1st level, and as you advance in level and record more maneuvers, you are able to ready more and higher level maneuvers as shown in Table 1-1 above, but you must still choose which maneuvers to ready. You may gain additional slots for a high intelligence score as indicated in Table 1-1 of the Player's Handbook (p. 9). You ready your maneuvers by studying your combat manual for at least 20 minutes and you may ready a maneuver of lower level in a higher slot. In contrast to other martial adepts, a blade scholar may also ready a specific maneuver more than once. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to study your manual again and change them, but you need to sleep or rest for 8 hours before you are able to ready a new set of maneuvers.
You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can only be used once per encounter. You can recover expended maneuvers only by meditating for at least 20 minutes, though you may not change them until you have rested for at least 8 hours. However, when you ready your maneuvers for the day, you may leave any number of slots open. You can use these open slots at any time to ready maneuvers by meditating for 20 minutes. Once these maneuvers are expended, they can be recovered by 20 minutes of meditation; you need to rest to change them as normal, though.
Stances: Unlike other martial adepts, you must ready your stances in advance. Your readied stances use the same slots as your maneuvers as shown in Table 1-1 above. You ready your stances at the same time you ready your other maneuvers, but unlike maneuvers, stances use up 2 slots and are not expended when you initiate them. All the stances that you have readied are available to you at all times, and you can switch the stance you are currently using as a swift action for another readied stance. If you want to change your set of readied stances, you need to rest as normal. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance's description.
Combat Manual: You must study your combat manual for at least 20 minutes to ready your maneuvers and stances. You cannot ready any maneuver not recorded in your manual.
You begin play with a combat manual containing three 1st-level maneuvers and one 1st-level stance of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus you have, the manual holds one additional 1st-level maneuver of your choice. You can decline two or more of these maneuvers to start play with additional stances (one stance per two maneuvers). At each new blade scholar level, you gain two new maneuvers or one new stance of any level or levels that you can initiate (based on your new level) for your combat manual, see Table 1-1 above. In order to record a maneuver or stance in your combat manual, it must contain as many maneuvers as stated in its prerequisites entry. At any time, you can also add maneuvers and stances from martial scripts or other blade scholars' manuals to your own, as long as you fulfill the maneuvers' and stances' prerequisites.
Scribe Martial Script: At 1st level, you gain Scribe Martial Script as a bonus feat.
AC Bonus (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to AC, as long as you wear light or no armor, are unencumbered, and do not use a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless. This bonus overlaps (does not stack) with the AC bonus granted by the swordsage class.
Internalized Maneuver (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level and at every odd level thereafter, you may choose one maneuver of the second highest level or lower you can initiate and which is recorded in your combat manual. From now on you are so intimately familiar with this maneuver that you no longer need a combat manual to ready it. In addition you may spontaneously initiate a maneuver chosen with this class feature in place of a readied maneuver of the same or higher level. The readied maneuver is expended in the process.
If you select the Maneuver Mastery and/or the Signature Maneuver feat (see below), the maneuvers chosen with these feats are in addition to this class feature.
Bonus Feats: At 4th level and every four levels thereafter through 16th level you gain a bonus feat. These bonus feats must be drawn from the list of general and tactical feats in the Tome of Battle (pp. 28-36) or from the feat list presented below. You must still meet all prerequisites for these feats.
Favoured Martial Weapon (Ex): As she advances in level, a blade scholar finds which weapon fits her fighting-style best and learns to use this weapon with all disciplines of the Sublime Way.
At 6th level you may choose a favoured weapon of one of the nine disciplines of at least masterwork quality with which you are proficient (this includes claws, if you naturally have ones, and the unarmed strike if you have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat). You can then spend at least one week of training with this weapon to establish a special link to it. Once the link is established, you gain the ability to initiate maneuvers from all disciplines and are treated as if you had Weapon Focus (your favoured weapon), while wielding this weapon. You must wield your favoured weapon in your main hand, if you are fighting with two weapons.
If your favoured weapon is lost or destroyed, your link is broken and you suffer a -1 penalty to all attack and damage rolls for one day; this penalty increases to -2 with a different kind of weapon. If you recover your weapon or your weapon is mended, you can reestablish the link to your weapon (and immediately remove the penalty) by one hour of training. If you choose to use a new weapon of the same kind, it takes one day of training to establish a link. It takes a full week of training to do that with a different kind of weapon though.
Sophisticated Initiating (Ex): Your advanced understanding of the theory of the Sublime Way lets you develop special techniques. At 10th level you choose an ability score other than Intelligence. From now on you may substitute your Intelligence modifier for calculating the save DC of a maneuver based on the chosen ability. The choice is permanent.
Cunning Strikes (Ex): You know the exact moment when to catch your foe unprepared for your strike. At 14th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on damage rolls of any strike maneuver against a flat-footed or flanked opponent. In addition your opponent takes a -1 penalty on his save against the strike maneuver, if appropriate.
Weapon Skill (Ex): You have learned to protect your favoured weapon. At 18th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on any check made to oppose an enemy’s disarm or sunder attempt while wielding the weapon chosen with your favoured martial weapon class feature.
Calculated Counterstrike (Ex): By evaluating your foe in combat you learn when to strike hard. At 20th level as an immediate action and after combat has lasted for at least 3 rounds, you can initiate any strike maneuver which you have readied and which does not take longer than a standard action to initiate, as a counter. You may only use this ability against adversaries who have been in fight for at least the last three rounds. Thus, if you encounter the sentry of an orc camp, for example, and after 3 rounds of combat an orc-patrol joins the fight, you can only make a calculated counterstrike against the orc sentry; you would have to wait for another 3 rounds to initiate a calculated counterstrike against a member of the orc patrol. This ability is usable for a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per day and only once per encounter.
3. FEAT LIST
ACADEMIC BLADE SCHOLAR
You have undergone extensive training in a formal school for blade scholars.
Prerequisites: Int 13, blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: You begin play with knowledge of six 1st-level maneuvers plus one per point of Intelligence modifier. Each time you gain a blade scholar level, you may add four maneuvers to your combat manual without additional research. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (history) checks.
Normal: 1st-level blade scholars begin play with knowledge of three 1st-level maneuvers, and can add two maneuvers per level to their combat manuals.
Special: You can take this feat only as a 1st-level character.
IMPROVED RECOVERY
You have learned to recover your expended maneuvers faster.
Prerequisite: Blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: You can recover all of your maneuvers by meditating for only 1 minute.
Normal: You can recover all of your maneuvers meditating for 20 minutes.
INSTANT RECALL
You learn to instantly recall a maneuver from your combat manual.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Improved Recovery.
Benefit: If you leave maneuver slots open when readying your maneuvers, you can use one of these slots to ready any maneuver recorded in your combat manual as a full-round action. You can use this feat up to Intellingence modifier times per day.
Normal: You can ready maneuvers in your open slots by meditating for 20 minutes.
MANEUVER MASTERY
You are so intimately familiar with certain maneuvers that you don’t need a combat manual to ready them anymore.
Prerequisite: Blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of maneuvers equal to your Intelligence modifier that you have recorded in your combat manual. From that point on, you can ready these maneuvers without referring to a combat manual.
Normal: Without this feat, you must use a combat manual to ready all your maneuvers.
SIGNATURE MANEUVER
You are so familiar with a mastered maneuver that you can convert other readied maneuvers into that maneuver.
Prerequisite: Maneuver Mastery.
Benefit: Choose one maneuver that you have mastered with the Maneuver Mastery feat as your signature maneuver. You may now spontaneously convert readied maneuvers of that maneuver's level or higher into your signature maneuver.
Special: You can gain Signature Maneuver multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different mastered maneuver.
UNPREDICTABLE WARRIOR
Your wide variety of fighting styles helps you catch your foes off-guard.
Prerequisite: Must have a combat manual containig at least 3 maneuvers from every discipline, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: You gain a bonus on all attack rolls made as part of a strike maneuver equal to the number of different disciplines you have readied maneuvers from, up to a maximum of a +5 bonus. Thus, if you had readied maneuvers from the Desert Wind, Diamond Mind and Shadow Hand disciplines you would gain a +3 bonus on all attack rolls. As soon as you run out of readied maneuvers from one of those disciplines the bonus drops by one, down to a minimum of +0 when you have no maneuvers readied left. Recovering maneuvers increases the bonus again.
4. MULTICLASSING
Base Classes: You add one-half your levels in other base classes to you blade scholar level to determine your initiator level. Since your ability to use maneuvers is calculated by your class level rather than your initiator level, your maneuvers do not improve by multiclassing. However, if you have mastered maneuvers by selecting them with your intimized maneuver class feature or with the Maneuver Mastery feat, you may use these maneuvers as prerequisites for selecting your maneuvers known for one of the other three martial base classes (crusader, swordsage and warblade).
Prestige Classes: To qualify for a martial prestige class's maneuvers known requirements, a blade scholar must have either selected enough maneuvers with her internalized maneuver class feature or with the Spell Mastery feat, otherwise she is not considered to know any maneuvers. You add your full prestige class levels to determine your initiator level. Maneuvers and stances gained by taking levels in prestige classes may count as mastered maneuvers, but you do not gain new maneuvers per day or any maneuvers for your combat manual and you do not gain access to higher level maneuvers.
5. REBUILDING NOTES
The knowledge skills were specified. I find no reason to let the blade scholar have both, knowledge (arcana) and (psionics) for instance, as class skills.
The proficiency with the two-bladed sword was specified.
Maneuvers and stances readied and recovery mechanics were completely changed. From now on the blade scholar has a list of maneuvers/stances readied as a wizard spells/day of the same level and may profit from a high intelligence score. He may recover his maneuvers only after meditating for 20 minutes and he can change them only after 8 hours of rest, however. This was done because the class suffered from way to few useable maneuvers and a horrible recovery mechanic. The recovery mechanic was nerfed further, while the maneuvers readied got a huge boost. For me personally, this suits the feel of the vancanian preparation better. You need to be better prepared, which is the point of your high int score, for your fights because you cannot change your maneuvers, but you have a lot more of them. You must have an appropriate Int score in order to record, ready and initiate a maneuver, too.
The list of bonus feats was shortened and you get them on different levels. The blade scholar had an unbelievably wide selection of bonus feats. While he had a lot of the best fighter bonus feats included, he had all maneuvering-related feats on this list, too.
Internalized maneuver was added to give the blade scholar a basic set of 1 maneuver per maneuver level which he can initiate any time, because otherwise it would take you all day to pick your daily maneuvers.
The Favoured Martial Weapon ability was included to remove the original blade scholar's crippling drawback. At the beginning of a blade scholar's career this drawback is not that drastic, because you can ready so few maneuvers anyway. But later the ability to initiate maneuvers from all disciplines is the focal point of the class.
Since this martial class has yet another high-priority attribute and thus is even more mad than the swordsage, sophisticated maneuvering was added.
For balancing purposes Book of Geometry and Secrets were dumped.
Cunning strike and weapon skill are inspired by the warblade, for the warblade is built around Intelligence, too. These class features were altered though, so they fit in with the blade scholar's concept and to leave the warblade unique enough. Cunning strike reduces mad to a certain extent, too.
The capstone ability "free counter" was dumped, because it seemed to really get the short end of the stick compared to "dual boost" and "stance mastery". Calculating counterstrike fits the basic concept behind the class better, too i think.
Changed the blade scholar specific feats and added Signature Maneuver and Unpredictable Warrior; the feats now fit in with the new mechanics. Signature Maneuver was a logical follow-up to Maneuver Mastery and Unpredictable Warrior is a feat inspired by the mo9's mastery of nine class feature. Since you have enough firepower from your maneuvers anyway, this feat gives the class what it lacks most: attack bonus.
Multiclassing deserves to be mentioned as the blade scholar is an odd case in this respect. More to come...
The following rules are in addition (Signature Maneuver and Unpredictable Warrior feats) to or replace (all of the class features, other blade scholar specific feats) Jaerom Darkwind's original work. Some parts were left unchanged (such as the specifics on how to copy maneuvers in your combat manual, for instance) and thus are not mentioned here. Please see Jaerom Darkwind's original work (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=948233) for these parts.
THE BLADE SCHOLAR (REBUILD)
INDEX
1. Table 1-1: The Blade Scholar (Rebuild)
2. Class Features
3. Feat List
4. Multiclassing
5. Rebuilding Notes
1. TABLE 1-1: THE BLADE SCHOLAR (REBUILD)
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Class Abilities|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Scribe martial script|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|AC bonus|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|1st Internalized maneuver|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Bonus feat|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|+3|+1|+4|+4|2nd Internalized maneuver|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|+4|+2|+5|+5|Favoured martial weapon|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|+5|+2|+5|+5|3rd Internalized maneuver|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-
8th|+6/+1|+2|+6|+6|Bonus feat|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
9th|+6/+1|+3|+6|+6|4th Internalized maneuver|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-
10th|+7/+2|+3|+7|+7|Sophisticated initiating|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
11th|+8/+3|+3|+7|+7|5th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
12th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Bonus feat|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-
13th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|6th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-
14th|+10/+5|+4|+9|+9|Cunning strikes|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+9|+9|7th internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Bonus feat|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|8th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|Weapon skill|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|9th Internalized maneuver|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|Calculated counterstrike|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Hit Die: D8.
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Decipher Script, Forgery, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history, local, nobility and royalty, + any one), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Perform (weapon drill), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spot, Swim, Tumble.
2. CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a blade scholar, you are proficient with the favored weapons of the nine disciplines of the Sublime Way, namely the bastard sword , battleaxe, claw, dagger, dwarven waraxe , falchion, greataxe, greatclub, greatsword, halberd, handaxe, heavy mace, kama, kukri, light mace, light pick, longsword, maul, nunchaku, quarterstaff, rapier, sai, scimitar, shortspear, short sword, siangham, spear, trident, two-bladed sword , and warhammer. You are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
* Martial weapon proficiency only.
** You may wield the two-bladed sword without penalty, unless you use the two-weapon fighting options. In this case you need to take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, if you want to avoid the usual -4 penalty on attack rolls for wielding a weapon with which you are not proficient.
Maneuvers: A blade scholar has an entirely different access to maneuvers than the crusader, swordsage or warblade. While those classes simply know their maneuvers, a blade scholar records them in his so-called combat manual (see below). She may record any number of maneuvers from any discipline as long as she fulfills the maneuver's prerequisites (see Combat Manual, below). In order to initiate a maneuver, the blade scholar must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the maneuver level (Int 11 for 1st-level maneuvers, Int 12 for 2nd-level maneuvers and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a blade scholar’s maneuver is 10 + the maneuver level + your modifier of the ability indicated in the maneuver's description.
Once you have recorded a maneuver in your combat manual, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by blade scholars is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one. You can only initiate a maneuver if you are wielding a weapon associated with its discipline (see Tome of Battle, Chapter 4, pp. 40-42); at least until you gain the Favoured Martial Weapon ability at 5th level.
A blade scholar's initiator level is equal to her class level. Levels in other classes increase her initiator level by one-half and you add your full martial prestige class levels to your blade scholar levels as normal, but this does not grant her to record and initiate maneuvers and stances of higher level. See the second posting below for more specific details on multiclassing. Her ability to initiate and record maneuvers derives from her levels in the blade scholar class only. See Table 1-1 above to determine the highest-level maneuvers you have access to.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready one of your 1st level maneuvers in your combat manual at 1st level, and as you advance in level and record more maneuvers, you are able to ready more and higher level maneuvers as shown in Table 1-1 above, but you must still choose which maneuvers to ready. You may gain additional slots for a high intelligence score as indicated in Table 1-1 of the Player's Handbook (p. 9). You ready your maneuvers by studying your combat manual for at least 20 minutes and you may ready a maneuver of lower level in a higher slot. In contrast to other martial adepts, a blade scholar may also ready a specific maneuver more than once. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to study your manual again and change them, but you need to sleep or rest for 8 hours before you are able to ready a new set of maneuvers.
You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can only be used once per encounter. You can recover expended maneuvers only by meditating for at least 20 minutes, though you may not change them until you have rested for at least 8 hours. However, when you ready your maneuvers for the day, you may leave any number of slots open. You can use these open slots at any time to ready maneuvers by meditating for 20 minutes. Once these maneuvers are expended, they can be recovered by 20 minutes of meditation; you need to rest to change them as normal, though.
Stances: Unlike other martial adepts, you must ready your stances in advance. Your readied stances use the same slots as your maneuvers as shown in Table 1-1 above. You ready your stances at the same time you ready your other maneuvers, but unlike maneuvers, stances use up 2 slots and are not expended when you initiate them. All the stances that you have readied are available to you at all times, and you can switch the stance you are currently using as a swift action for another readied stance. If you want to change your set of readied stances, you need to rest as normal. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance's description.
Combat Manual: You must study your combat manual for at least 20 minutes to ready your maneuvers and stances. You cannot ready any maneuver not recorded in your manual.
You begin play with a combat manual containing three 1st-level maneuvers and one 1st-level stance of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus you have, the manual holds one additional 1st-level maneuver of your choice. You can decline two or more of these maneuvers to start play with additional stances (one stance per two maneuvers). At each new blade scholar level, you gain two new maneuvers or one new stance of any level or levels that you can initiate (based on your new level) for your combat manual, see Table 1-1 above. In order to record a maneuver or stance in your combat manual, it must contain as many maneuvers as stated in its prerequisites entry. At any time, you can also add maneuvers and stances from martial scripts or other blade scholars' manuals to your own, as long as you fulfill the maneuvers' and stances' prerequisites.
Scribe Martial Script: At 1st level, you gain Scribe Martial Script as a bonus feat.
AC Bonus (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to AC, as long as you wear light or no armor, are unencumbered, and do not use a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless. This bonus overlaps (does not stack) with the AC bonus granted by the swordsage class.
Internalized Maneuver (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level and at every odd level thereafter, you may choose one maneuver of the second highest level or lower you can initiate and which is recorded in your combat manual. From now on you are so intimately familiar with this maneuver that you no longer need a combat manual to ready it. In addition you may spontaneously initiate a maneuver chosen with this class feature in place of a readied maneuver of the same or higher level. The readied maneuver is expended in the process.
If you select the Maneuver Mastery and/or the Signature Maneuver feat (see below), the maneuvers chosen with these feats are in addition to this class feature.
Bonus Feats: At 4th level and every four levels thereafter through 16th level you gain a bonus feat. These bonus feats must be drawn from the list of general and tactical feats in the Tome of Battle (pp. 28-36) or from the feat list presented below. You must still meet all prerequisites for these feats.
Favoured Martial Weapon (Ex): As she advances in level, a blade scholar finds which weapon fits her fighting-style best and learns to use this weapon with all disciplines of the Sublime Way.
At 6th level you may choose a favoured weapon of one of the nine disciplines of at least masterwork quality with which you are proficient (this includes claws, if you naturally have ones, and the unarmed strike if you have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat). You can then spend at least one week of training with this weapon to establish a special link to it. Once the link is established, you gain the ability to initiate maneuvers from all disciplines and are treated as if you had Weapon Focus (your favoured weapon), while wielding this weapon. You must wield your favoured weapon in your main hand, if you are fighting with two weapons.
If your favoured weapon is lost or destroyed, your link is broken and you suffer a -1 penalty to all attack and damage rolls for one day; this penalty increases to -2 with a different kind of weapon. If you recover your weapon or your weapon is mended, you can reestablish the link to your weapon (and immediately remove the penalty) by one hour of training. If you choose to use a new weapon of the same kind, it takes one day of training to establish a link. It takes a full week of training to do that with a different kind of weapon though.
Sophisticated Initiating (Ex): Your advanced understanding of the theory of the Sublime Way lets you develop special techniques. At 10th level you choose an ability score other than Intelligence. From now on you may substitute your Intelligence modifier for calculating the save DC of a maneuver based on the chosen ability. The choice is permanent.
Cunning Strikes (Ex): You know the exact moment when to catch your foe unprepared for your strike. At 14th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on damage rolls of any strike maneuver against a flat-footed or flanked opponent. In addition your opponent takes a -1 penalty on his save against the strike maneuver, if appropriate.
Weapon Skill (Ex): You have learned to protect your favoured weapon. At 18th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on any check made to oppose an enemy’s disarm or sunder attempt while wielding the weapon chosen with your favoured martial weapon class feature.
Calculated Counterstrike (Ex): By evaluating your foe in combat you learn when to strike hard. At 20th level as an immediate action and after combat has lasted for at least 3 rounds, you can initiate any strike maneuver which you have readied and which does not take longer than a standard action to initiate, as a counter. You may only use this ability against adversaries who have been in fight for at least the last three rounds. Thus, if you encounter the sentry of an orc camp, for example, and after 3 rounds of combat an orc-patrol joins the fight, you can only make a calculated counterstrike against the orc sentry; you would have to wait for another 3 rounds to initiate a calculated counterstrike against a member of the orc patrol. This ability is usable for a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per day and only once per encounter.
3. FEAT LIST
ACADEMIC BLADE SCHOLAR
You have undergone extensive training in a formal school for blade scholars.
Prerequisites: Int 13, blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: You begin play with knowledge of six 1st-level maneuvers plus one per point of Intelligence modifier. Each time you gain a blade scholar level, you may add four maneuvers to your combat manual without additional research. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (history) checks.
Normal: 1st-level blade scholars begin play with knowledge of three 1st-level maneuvers, and can add two maneuvers per level to their combat manuals.
Special: You can take this feat only as a 1st-level character.
IMPROVED RECOVERY
You have learned to recover your expended maneuvers faster.
Prerequisite: Blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: You can recover all of your maneuvers by meditating for only 1 minute.
Normal: You can recover all of your maneuvers meditating for 20 minutes.
INSTANT RECALL
You learn to instantly recall a maneuver from your combat manual.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Improved Recovery.
Benefit: If you leave maneuver slots open when readying your maneuvers, you can use one of these slots to ready any maneuver recorded in your combat manual as a full-round action. You can use this feat up to Intellingence modifier times per day.
Normal: You can ready maneuvers in your open slots by meditating for 20 minutes.
MANEUVER MASTERY
You are so intimately familiar with certain maneuvers that you don’t need a combat manual to ready them anymore.
Prerequisite: Blade scholar level 1st.
Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of maneuvers equal to your Intelligence modifier that you have recorded in your combat manual. From that point on, you can ready these maneuvers without referring to a combat manual.
Normal: Without this feat, you must use a combat manual to ready all your maneuvers.
SIGNATURE MANEUVER
You are so familiar with a mastered maneuver that you can convert other readied maneuvers into that maneuver.
Prerequisite: Maneuver Mastery.
Benefit: Choose one maneuver that you have mastered with the Maneuver Mastery feat as your signature maneuver. You may now spontaneously convert readied maneuvers of that maneuver's level or higher into your signature maneuver.
Special: You can gain Signature Maneuver multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different mastered maneuver.
UNPREDICTABLE WARRIOR
Your wide variety of fighting styles helps you catch your foes off-guard.
Prerequisite: Must have a combat manual containig at least 3 maneuvers from every discipline, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: You gain a bonus on all attack rolls made as part of a strike maneuver equal to the number of different disciplines you have readied maneuvers from, up to a maximum of a +5 bonus. Thus, if you had readied maneuvers from the Desert Wind, Diamond Mind and Shadow Hand disciplines you would gain a +3 bonus on all attack rolls. As soon as you run out of readied maneuvers from one of those disciplines the bonus drops by one, down to a minimum of +0 when you have no maneuvers readied left. Recovering maneuvers increases the bonus again.
4. MULTICLASSING
Base Classes: You add one-half your levels in other base classes to you blade scholar level to determine your initiator level. Since your ability to use maneuvers is calculated by your class level rather than your initiator level, your maneuvers do not improve by multiclassing. However, if you have mastered maneuvers by selecting them with your intimized maneuver class feature or with the Maneuver Mastery feat, you may use these maneuvers as prerequisites for selecting your maneuvers known for one of the other three martial base classes (crusader, swordsage and warblade).
Prestige Classes: To qualify for a martial prestige class's maneuvers known requirements, a blade scholar must have either selected enough maneuvers with her internalized maneuver class feature or with the Spell Mastery feat, otherwise she is not considered to know any maneuvers. You add your full prestige class levels to determine your initiator level. Maneuvers and stances gained by taking levels in prestige classes may count as mastered maneuvers, but you do not gain new maneuvers per day or any maneuvers for your combat manual and you do not gain access to higher level maneuvers.
5. REBUILDING NOTES
The knowledge skills were specified. I find no reason to let the blade scholar have both, knowledge (arcana) and (psionics) for instance, as class skills.
The proficiency with the two-bladed sword was specified.
Maneuvers and stances readied and recovery mechanics were completely changed. From now on the blade scholar has a list of maneuvers/stances readied as a wizard spells/day of the same level and may profit from a high intelligence score. He may recover his maneuvers only after meditating for 20 minutes and he can change them only after 8 hours of rest, however. This was done because the class suffered from way to few useable maneuvers and a horrible recovery mechanic. The recovery mechanic was nerfed further, while the maneuvers readied got a huge boost. For me personally, this suits the feel of the vancanian preparation better. You need to be better prepared, which is the point of your high int score, for your fights because you cannot change your maneuvers, but you have a lot more of them. You must have an appropriate Int score in order to record, ready and initiate a maneuver, too.
The list of bonus feats was shortened and you get them on different levels. The blade scholar had an unbelievably wide selection of bonus feats. While he had a lot of the best fighter bonus feats included, he had all maneuvering-related feats on this list, too.
Internalized maneuver was added to give the blade scholar a basic set of 1 maneuver per maneuver level which he can initiate any time, because otherwise it would take you all day to pick your daily maneuvers.
The Favoured Martial Weapon ability was included to remove the original blade scholar's crippling drawback. At the beginning of a blade scholar's career this drawback is not that drastic, because you can ready so few maneuvers anyway. But later the ability to initiate maneuvers from all disciplines is the focal point of the class.
Since this martial class has yet another high-priority attribute and thus is even more mad than the swordsage, sophisticated maneuvering was added.
For balancing purposes Book of Geometry and Secrets were dumped.
Cunning strike and weapon skill are inspired by the warblade, for the warblade is built around Intelligence, too. These class features were altered though, so they fit in with the blade scholar's concept and to leave the warblade unique enough. Cunning strike reduces mad to a certain extent, too.
The capstone ability "free counter" was dumped, because it seemed to really get the short end of the stick compared to "dual boost" and "stance mastery". Calculating counterstrike fits the basic concept behind the class better, too i think.
Changed the blade scholar specific feats and added Signature Maneuver and Unpredictable Warrior; the feats now fit in with the new mechanics. Signature Maneuver was a logical follow-up to Maneuver Mastery and Unpredictable Warrior is a feat inspired by the mo9's mastery of nine class feature. Since you have enough firepower from your maneuvers anyway, this feat gives the class what it lacks most: attack bonus.
Multiclassing deserves to be mentioned as the blade scholar is an odd case in this respect. More to come...