tempestman
2011-07-08, 12:21 PM
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Srcmd_3aDug/TDJNZxZ82wI/AAAAAAAAAdY/fRmCLzqB0E0/s1600/Musashi-SwordoftheSamurai.jpg
"A samurai should always be prepared for death - whether his own or someone else's." - Stan Sakai
Samurai are professional warriors, members of the noble class who are trained in the arts of warfare. They are not only trained for their role in society, they are born for it – born into a system of allegiance, loyalty, and honor that influences every stage of their lives. A samurai cut loose from this system is no longer a samurai; he is an ordinary warrior with no honor or standing in society.
Adventures: Samurai undertake quests and other adventures at the behest of their lords, who often use mid- to high- level samurai as troubleshooters. A samurai might be ordered to defend a village beset by bandits, to lead allies in battle, or to hunt down and duel a rival who has stained the lord’s honor.
Characteristics: Wielding their weapons and utilizing various maneuvers and stances in combat, samurai are potent and mighty melee combatants, rivaling fighters and paladins. Their adherence to the code of bushido and their ancestors is intimidating to their foes, and the fixed stare of a samurai can unnerve most opponents. Furthermore, a samurai can call upon the spirits of her ancestors to empower her weapons.
Alignment: Almost every aspect of a samurai’s life is ruled by the code of bushido, which demands total obedience to one’s lord, bravery in the face of utmost peril, and honor and respect to superiors, peers, and lessers alike. Samurai are always lawful, stoic in demeanor, and implacable when matters of honor and justice are concerned.
Religion: Samurai often pray to the spirits of their ancestors, but some choose to follow gods as well. Any nonchaotic god of war or combat is a good choice of deity for a samurai, as are gods of loyalty and honor.
Background: Samurai are traditionally of noble birth, although folk tales and legends are full of stories about samurai who were orphans adopted by noble families or foot soldiers who showed outstanding bravery and loyalty in battle. Becoming a samurai means untold hours learned to use weapons in combat, lessons in manners and etiquette, and relentless instruction in the tenets of bushido.
Races: Most samurai are humans or half-elves, although a small number belong to the half-drow, aasimar, and tiefling races. The dwarves have begun to adopt parts of the samurai code over the past few decades, as many samurai philosophies line up with dwarven views on life and family quite nicely. High elves also make mighty and noble samurai, although the wood elves are often too savage and wild to adhere to the tenants of bushido. Few other races boast any large number of samurai.
Other Classes: Because both classes live their lives according to a code of honor, samurai tend to get along with paladins. Monks, who also follow a strict code, also tend to get along with samurai, although their differing views on combat styles may put them at odds. Samurai get along with honorable fighters and warblades, but not so much with barbarians. Bards generally get along well with samurai, as the noble warriors make for epic tales of valor and battle.
Role: With their armor and mighty weapons, samurai are front-line melee combatants. They also benefit from a series of abilities that give morale penalties to their foes. In social settings, a samurai’s training in matters of etiquette make them good negotiators and spokesmen.
Game Rule Information
Abilities: Strength is of paramount importance to the sword-wielding samurai, and Dexterity and Constitution help him survive in the midst of battle. Like monks, a samurai’s defensive capabilities benefit from a high Wisdom. Many of the samurai’s other class features depend on Charisma – a samurai’s force of personality can make his enemies quake in fear.
Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: The samurai’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive, (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int Modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int Modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|AC Bonus|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Ancestral Daisho, Art of War|+0|3|3|1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|-|+0|4|3|2
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Kiai Smite 1/day|+0|5|3|2
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Aesthetic Grace, Resolve|+0|5|4|2
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Iaijutsu Master|+1|6|4|3
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+5|Stare Down|+1|6|4|3
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+5|Kiai Smite 2/day|+1|7|4|3
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+6|Lightning Blade|+1|7|4|3
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|-|+1|8|4|4|2
10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Mass Stare Down|+2|8|5|4
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+7|-|+2|9|5|4
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+8|Kiai Smite 3/day|+2|9|5|4
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+8|-|+2|10|5|5
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+9|Improved Stare Down|+2|10|5|5
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+9|-|+3|11|6|5
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+10|-|+3|11|6|5
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Impetuous Endurance|+3|12|6|5
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Kiai Smite 4/day|+3|12|6|5
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11|-|+3|13|6|5
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Kiai Warlord|+4|13|7|6 [/table]
Class Features: All of the following are class features of the samurai class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Samurai are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor. Samurai are not proficient with shields.
Maneuvers: A samurai begins his career with the knowledge of three martial maneuvers (found in the Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords). The disciplines available to him are Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, and Stone Dragon. The samurai cannot, however, learn any stances or maneuvers with the chaotic descriptor.
Once a samurai knows a maneuver, he must ready it before he can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by samurai is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. His maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when he initiates one.
The samurai learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the table above. He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See page 39 of the Tome of Battle to determine the highest-level maneuvers a samurai can learn.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered samurai level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), a samurai can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one he already knows. In effect, he loses the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. He can choose a maneuver of any level he likes, as long as he observe his restriction on the highest-level maneuvers he knows; a samurai needs not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. A samurai can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: A samurai can ready all three of the maneuvers he knows at 1st level, but as he advances in level and learns more maneuvers, he must choose which maneuvers to ready. The samurai readies his maneuvers by meditating and exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers he chooses remain readied until he decides to mediate again and change them. The samurai need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready his maneuvers; any time he spends 5 minutes in mediation, he can change his readied maneuvers.
The samurai begins an encounter with all his readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times he used them since he chose them. When he initiates a maneuver, the samurai expends it for the current encounter, so each of his readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (unless he recovers them, as described below).
A samurai can recover all expended maneuvers by using a full-round action to quickly meditate. Doing this does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If he completes his mediation, the samurai refreshes all of his expended maneuvers and can use them in subsequent rounds.
Stances Known: A samurai begins play with knowledge of one 1st-level stance from any disciple open to him. At 2nd, 5th, 9th, 14th, and 20th level, he can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and the samurai does not have to ready them. All the stances he knows are available to him at all times, and he can change the stance he currently uses as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description.
Unlike with maneuvers, a samurai cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one he already knows.
AC Bonus (Ex): A samurai is highly trained at anticipating and blocking blows, and he has a sixth sense that lets him avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unencumbered and not wearing heavy armor or carrying a shield, the samurai adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC. In addition, a samurai gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five samurai levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).
Ancestral Daisho: All samurai begin play with at least one masterwork weapon, a weapon that belonged to the samurai’s ancestors and is a relic of his family. The samurai does not have to pay for this weapon, but the total cost of the weapon cannot exceed 300 gp. Protecting this weapon is an important point of honor for the samurai, and as the samurai acquires treasure through adventuring, he has the ability to awaken the supernatural abilities latent within the steel of the weapon. This option allows a samurai who prefers to use his ancestral blade to wield a magic weapon, while a samurai who wants to use a different weapon to do so.
At any time, a samurai may retreat to a temple or shrine and spend time in prayer in order to awaken the ancestral spirits in his family’s weapon. This requires a sacrifice of valuable items worth the amount shown on the table below. This sacrifice does not have to be gold – the character can sacrifice magic items or other goods worth the required amount rather than selling his goods to pay for the sacrifice. The samurai must meet the minimum character level (including any prestige class levels) shown on the table, and he must spend one day per 1,000 gp sacrificed in the shrine or temple. During this time, he must spend at least 8 hours each day kneeling before his ancestors and his weapon, not stopping to eat or rest. Many samurai request the assistance of a cleric or shaman in this process, but a cleric or shaman is no required.
The values shown on the table below are the total value of sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If the samurai already has a +3 weapon, he can raise it to a +4 weapon by sacrificing 14,000 gp and spending two weeks in prayer. Before a samurai’s ancestral weapon becomes a +1 weapon, it is an ordinary masterwork weapon in every way. Its latent supernatural powers do not cause it to be considered a magic weapon until those powers are awakened.
A samurai who loses his ancestral weapon is dishonored until he can recover them. He cannot enhance any other weapon in this way.
A samurai is automatically proficient with his ancestral weapon and gains the corresponding weapon proficiency feat as a bonus feat if it is not a simple or martial weapon.
{table=head]Weapon Bonus|Total Sacrifice Required|Minimum Character Level
+1|1,500 gp|4th
+2|6,000 gp|7th
+3|13,500 gp|9th
+4|24,000 gp|11th
+5|37,500 gp|13th
+6*|54,000 gp|14th
+7*|73,500 gp|15th
+8*|96,000 gp|16th
+9*|121,500 gp|17th
+10*|150,000 gp|18th[/table]
*A weapon can’t actually have an enhancement bonus higher than +5. Use these lines to determine the price when special abilities are added.
Art of War (Ex): A samurai’s studies in warfare make him more readily capable of learning a wide variety of combat abilities. For the purpose of qualifying for feats, the samurai treats his ability scores as though they are two points higher than they actually are. Furthermore, a samurai can learn fighter feats as if he were a fighter with levels equal to his number of samurai levels.
Kiai Smite (Ex): Once per day, a samurai of 3rd level or higher can give a great cry during combat that invigorates him. When a samurai shouts (a free action), his next attack gains a bonus on the attack, damage, and critical confirmation rolls equal to his Wisdom modifier. As the samurai gains levels, he can make a kiai smite more often.
Aesthetic Grace (Ex): At 4th level, a samurai gains a bonus equal to his Wisdom bonus (if any) on all saving throws.
Resolve (Ex): At 4th level, a samurai becomes immune to fear effects (magical and otherwise) and all charm and compulsion effects. The samurai’s loyalty to his lord frees him from the mind-affecting attacks many of his foes may hope to employ.
Iaijutsu Master (Ex): By 5th level, a samurai has become adept at Iaijutsu, a fighting technique that concentrates on drawing his weapon and striking a foe in one fluid motion. He gains Quick Draw as a bonus feat. Furthermore, whenever a samurai draws a weapon, its critical threat range increases by 2 until the end of the samurai’s turn. This effect stacks with the effects of keen edge, the Improved Critical feat, and the keen enhancement, but is applied after any multipliers.
Stare Down (Ex): At 6th level, a samurai becomes able to strike fear into his foes by his mere presence. He gains a +4 on Intimidate checks and whenever he successfully demoralizes an opponent, the target takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for one round, instead of the normal -2 penalty.
Lightning Blade (Ex): At 8th level, the samurai has practiced the Iaijutsu techniques used in ritual duels between samurai, and he is able to anticipate when any enemy will attack. He gains the Improved Initiative feat as a bonus feat and adds his Wisdom modifier to initiative rolls in addition to his Dexterity modifier.
Mass Stare Down (Ex): At 10th level, a samurai has sufficient presence that he can cow multiple foes at once. Using an Intimidate check, the samurai can demoralize all opponents within 30 feet as a single standard action.
Improved Stare Down (Ex): At 14th level, even a glance from the hard eyes of a samurai is enough to give his foes pause. The samurai can demoralize opponents within 30 feet as a move action instead of as a standard action. Furthermore, any targets the samurai successfully demoralizes become frightened for one round, then shaken for one round (using the samurai’s -4 penalty rather than the standard -2).
Impetuous Endurance (Ex): Starting at 17th, a samurai’s fighting spirit enables him to push his body beyond the normal limits of endurance. He no longer automatically fails a saving throw on a roll of 1. He still might fail the save if his result fails to equal or beat the DC.
Kiai Warlord (Ex): At 20th level, the samurai’s prowess and skill in combat have become the stuff of legends, granting him a fear-inspiring presence. When the samurai draws his blade, opponents within 40 feet must succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + the samurai’s Cha modifier) or become frightened for 4d6 rounds. If a creature fails their Will save by 5 or more, they become panicked for 4d6 rounds instead. Creatures that succeed on their Will saves become shaken for 1 round. Any foe that successfully resists the effects of a samurai’s frightful presence cannot be affected by it again for 24 hours.
Code of Conduct: A samurai must be of lawful alignment, and he dishonors himself, his family, and his weapon if he ever willingly commits a chaotic act. Additionally, the samurai code of bushido requires that he be obedient to his lord, accept death at any time and face it bravely, avenge any dishonor, and shun any appearance of cowardice. The core principles of bushido are honor, loyalty, and courage. Violating these precepts results in dishonor, which in turn can result in a samurai being stripped of his family name or being asked to commit ritual suicide.
Ex- Samurai: A samurai who becomes non-lawful, violates the tenets of bushido cannot gain new levels as a samurai. He retains his class abilities, but his ancestral weapon loses any “awakened” magical abilities. If the samurai returns to a lawful alignment, he must atone for his violations (see the atonement spell description in the Player’s Handbook) and redeem his honor in order to restore his weapons to their prior status and continue advancing as a samurai.
A samurai that loses his ancestral weapon cannot gain new levels as a samurai until he recovers the weapon. He need only recover the weapon to resume training as a samurai, he does not have to atone or otherwise redeem his honor.
Author Notes:
Anyone familiar with the samurai class knows that it is a weak class incapable of keeping up with other 3.5 Base Classes (at least the Complete Warrior version is). It has some cool concepts, and is based off of arguably some of the greatest historical warriors, but the class itself just sucks. Then there is the Oriental Adventures version of the class, which is more flexible and delves into the supernatural aspects of the class with its ancestral daisho class ability (which I kept). My original thoughts were to simply combine the two classes into one samurai class, but then I realized that it would still be rather low on the totem pole of classes. That's when I decided to make it a martial adept class like the crusader, swordsage, or warblade. Having played a warblade, I knew that this idea would make for a much stronger (and in my opinion, much more enjoyable) class.
After coming to this decision, I had to figure out how I wanted the samurai to learn his martial maneuvers. I decided on allowing access to 4 schools (Crusader has access to 3, Warblade 5, and Swordsage 6). I then decided on the four schools: Devoted Spirit (based on the concept of a samurai's devotion to a lord and support from his ancestors), Iron Heart (based on the concept of a samurai only caring about pure martial skill), Setting Sun (more of a thematic choice since Japan has often been called the "Land of the Rising Sun"), and Stone Dragon (which is available to all martial adept classes in the ToB). I also wanted to make it so that the samurai has access to a unique combination of maneuvers and stances that the other classes may not have (such as being able to enter a Devoted Spirit stance while using Iron Heart maneuvers).
Then came the readying his maneuvers. I had originally intended on copying the swordsage's way of readying and refreshing maneuvers (more known and ready, but takes longer to refresh), but then I settled on following the warblade's way of doing it (less known and ready, but can refresh them all much faster), to an extent (I kept the full-round meditate action rather than the swift flourish action followed by an attack). However, the samurai learns stances in a similar fashion to the swordsage.
More importantly, I hope you all enjoy this revision of the samurai.
Giving credit where credit is due: the Art of War class ability is based off of the ability with the same name by Zieghander.
Added Iaijutsu Focus to the class skills list.
"A samurai should always be prepared for death - whether his own or someone else's." - Stan Sakai
Samurai are professional warriors, members of the noble class who are trained in the arts of warfare. They are not only trained for their role in society, they are born for it – born into a system of allegiance, loyalty, and honor that influences every stage of their lives. A samurai cut loose from this system is no longer a samurai; he is an ordinary warrior with no honor or standing in society.
Adventures: Samurai undertake quests and other adventures at the behest of their lords, who often use mid- to high- level samurai as troubleshooters. A samurai might be ordered to defend a village beset by bandits, to lead allies in battle, or to hunt down and duel a rival who has stained the lord’s honor.
Characteristics: Wielding their weapons and utilizing various maneuvers and stances in combat, samurai are potent and mighty melee combatants, rivaling fighters and paladins. Their adherence to the code of bushido and their ancestors is intimidating to their foes, and the fixed stare of a samurai can unnerve most opponents. Furthermore, a samurai can call upon the spirits of her ancestors to empower her weapons.
Alignment: Almost every aspect of a samurai’s life is ruled by the code of bushido, which demands total obedience to one’s lord, bravery in the face of utmost peril, and honor and respect to superiors, peers, and lessers alike. Samurai are always lawful, stoic in demeanor, and implacable when matters of honor and justice are concerned.
Religion: Samurai often pray to the spirits of their ancestors, but some choose to follow gods as well. Any nonchaotic god of war or combat is a good choice of deity for a samurai, as are gods of loyalty and honor.
Background: Samurai are traditionally of noble birth, although folk tales and legends are full of stories about samurai who were orphans adopted by noble families or foot soldiers who showed outstanding bravery and loyalty in battle. Becoming a samurai means untold hours learned to use weapons in combat, lessons in manners and etiquette, and relentless instruction in the tenets of bushido.
Races: Most samurai are humans or half-elves, although a small number belong to the half-drow, aasimar, and tiefling races. The dwarves have begun to adopt parts of the samurai code over the past few decades, as many samurai philosophies line up with dwarven views on life and family quite nicely. High elves also make mighty and noble samurai, although the wood elves are often too savage and wild to adhere to the tenants of bushido. Few other races boast any large number of samurai.
Other Classes: Because both classes live their lives according to a code of honor, samurai tend to get along with paladins. Monks, who also follow a strict code, also tend to get along with samurai, although their differing views on combat styles may put them at odds. Samurai get along with honorable fighters and warblades, but not so much with barbarians. Bards generally get along well with samurai, as the noble warriors make for epic tales of valor and battle.
Role: With their armor and mighty weapons, samurai are front-line melee combatants. They also benefit from a series of abilities that give morale penalties to their foes. In social settings, a samurai’s training in matters of etiquette make them good negotiators and spokesmen.
Game Rule Information
Abilities: Strength is of paramount importance to the sword-wielding samurai, and Dexterity and Constitution help him survive in the midst of battle. Like monks, a samurai’s defensive capabilities benefit from a high Wisdom. Many of the samurai’s other class features depend on Charisma – a samurai’s force of personality can make his enemies quake in fear.
Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: The samurai’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive, (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int Modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int Modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|AC Bonus|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Ancestral Daisho, Art of War|+0|3|3|1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|-|+0|4|3|2
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Kiai Smite 1/day|+0|5|3|2
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Aesthetic Grace, Resolve|+0|5|4|2
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Iaijutsu Master|+1|6|4|3
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+5|Stare Down|+1|6|4|3
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+5|Kiai Smite 2/day|+1|7|4|3
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+6|Lightning Blade|+1|7|4|3
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|-|+1|8|4|4|2
10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Mass Stare Down|+2|8|5|4
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+7|-|+2|9|5|4
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+8|Kiai Smite 3/day|+2|9|5|4
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+8|-|+2|10|5|5
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+9|Improved Stare Down|+2|10|5|5
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+9|-|+3|11|6|5
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+10|-|+3|11|6|5
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Impetuous Endurance|+3|12|6|5
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Kiai Smite 4/day|+3|12|6|5
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11|-|+3|13|6|5
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Kiai Warlord|+4|13|7|6 [/table]
Class Features: All of the following are class features of the samurai class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Samurai are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor. Samurai are not proficient with shields.
Maneuvers: A samurai begins his career with the knowledge of three martial maneuvers (found in the Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords). The disciplines available to him are Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, and Stone Dragon. The samurai cannot, however, learn any stances or maneuvers with the chaotic descriptor.
Once a samurai knows a maneuver, he must ready it before he can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by samurai is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. His maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when he initiates one.
The samurai learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the table above. He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See page 39 of the Tome of Battle to determine the highest-level maneuvers a samurai can learn.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered samurai level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), a samurai can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one he already knows. In effect, he loses the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. He can choose a maneuver of any level he likes, as long as he observe his restriction on the highest-level maneuvers he knows; a samurai needs not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. A samurai can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: A samurai can ready all three of the maneuvers he knows at 1st level, but as he advances in level and learns more maneuvers, he must choose which maneuvers to ready. The samurai readies his maneuvers by meditating and exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers he chooses remain readied until he decides to mediate again and change them. The samurai need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready his maneuvers; any time he spends 5 minutes in mediation, he can change his readied maneuvers.
The samurai begins an encounter with all his readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times he used them since he chose them. When he initiates a maneuver, the samurai expends it for the current encounter, so each of his readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (unless he recovers them, as described below).
A samurai can recover all expended maneuvers by using a full-round action to quickly meditate. Doing this does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If he completes his mediation, the samurai refreshes all of his expended maneuvers and can use them in subsequent rounds.
Stances Known: A samurai begins play with knowledge of one 1st-level stance from any disciple open to him. At 2nd, 5th, 9th, 14th, and 20th level, he can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and the samurai does not have to ready them. All the stances he knows are available to him at all times, and he can change the stance he currently uses as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description.
Unlike with maneuvers, a samurai cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one he already knows.
AC Bonus (Ex): A samurai is highly trained at anticipating and blocking blows, and he has a sixth sense that lets him avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unencumbered and not wearing heavy armor or carrying a shield, the samurai adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC. In addition, a samurai gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five samurai levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).
Ancestral Daisho: All samurai begin play with at least one masterwork weapon, a weapon that belonged to the samurai’s ancestors and is a relic of his family. The samurai does not have to pay for this weapon, but the total cost of the weapon cannot exceed 300 gp. Protecting this weapon is an important point of honor for the samurai, and as the samurai acquires treasure through adventuring, he has the ability to awaken the supernatural abilities latent within the steel of the weapon. This option allows a samurai who prefers to use his ancestral blade to wield a magic weapon, while a samurai who wants to use a different weapon to do so.
At any time, a samurai may retreat to a temple or shrine and spend time in prayer in order to awaken the ancestral spirits in his family’s weapon. This requires a sacrifice of valuable items worth the amount shown on the table below. This sacrifice does not have to be gold – the character can sacrifice magic items or other goods worth the required amount rather than selling his goods to pay for the sacrifice. The samurai must meet the minimum character level (including any prestige class levels) shown on the table, and he must spend one day per 1,000 gp sacrificed in the shrine or temple. During this time, he must spend at least 8 hours each day kneeling before his ancestors and his weapon, not stopping to eat or rest. Many samurai request the assistance of a cleric or shaman in this process, but a cleric or shaman is no required.
The values shown on the table below are the total value of sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If the samurai already has a +3 weapon, he can raise it to a +4 weapon by sacrificing 14,000 gp and spending two weeks in prayer. Before a samurai’s ancestral weapon becomes a +1 weapon, it is an ordinary masterwork weapon in every way. Its latent supernatural powers do not cause it to be considered a magic weapon until those powers are awakened.
A samurai who loses his ancestral weapon is dishonored until he can recover them. He cannot enhance any other weapon in this way.
A samurai is automatically proficient with his ancestral weapon and gains the corresponding weapon proficiency feat as a bonus feat if it is not a simple or martial weapon.
{table=head]Weapon Bonus|Total Sacrifice Required|Minimum Character Level
+1|1,500 gp|4th
+2|6,000 gp|7th
+3|13,500 gp|9th
+4|24,000 gp|11th
+5|37,500 gp|13th
+6*|54,000 gp|14th
+7*|73,500 gp|15th
+8*|96,000 gp|16th
+9*|121,500 gp|17th
+10*|150,000 gp|18th[/table]
*A weapon can’t actually have an enhancement bonus higher than +5. Use these lines to determine the price when special abilities are added.
Art of War (Ex): A samurai’s studies in warfare make him more readily capable of learning a wide variety of combat abilities. For the purpose of qualifying for feats, the samurai treats his ability scores as though they are two points higher than they actually are. Furthermore, a samurai can learn fighter feats as if he were a fighter with levels equal to his number of samurai levels.
Kiai Smite (Ex): Once per day, a samurai of 3rd level or higher can give a great cry during combat that invigorates him. When a samurai shouts (a free action), his next attack gains a bonus on the attack, damage, and critical confirmation rolls equal to his Wisdom modifier. As the samurai gains levels, he can make a kiai smite more often.
Aesthetic Grace (Ex): At 4th level, a samurai gains a bonus equal to his Wisdom bonus (if any) on all saving throws.
Resolve (Ex): At 4th level, a samurai becomes immune to fear effects (magical and otherwise) and all charm and compulsion effects. The samurai’s loyalty to his lord frees him from the mind-affecting attacks many of his foes may hope to employ.
Iaijutsu Master (Ex): By 5th level, a samurai has become adept at Iaijutsu, a fighting technique that concentrates on drawing his weapon and striking a foe in one fluid motion. He gains Quick Draw as a bonus feat. Furthermore, whenever a samurai draws a weapon, its critical threat range increases by 2 until the end of the samurai’s turn. This effect stacks with the effects of keen edge, the Improved Critical feat, and the keen enhancement, but is applied after any multipliers.
Stare Down (Ex): At 6th level, a samurai becomes able to strike fear into his foes by his mere presence. He gains a +4 on Intimidate checks and whenever he successfully demoralizes an opponent, the target takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for one round, instead of the normal -2 penalty.
Lightning Blade (Ex): At 8th level, the samurai has practiced the Iaijutsu techniques used in ritual duels between samurai, and he is able to anticipate when any enemy will attack. He gains the Improved Initiative feat as a bonus feat and adds his Wisdom modifier to initiative rolls in addition to his Dexterity modifier.
Mass Stare Down (Ex): At 10th level, a samurai has sufficient presence that he can cow multiple foes at once. Using an Intimidate check, the samurai can demoralize all opponents within 30 feet as a single standard action.
Improved Stare Down (Ex): At 14th level, even a glance from the hard eyes of a samurai is enough to give his foes pause. The samurai can demoralize opponents within 30 feet as a move action instead of as a standard action. Furthermore, any targets the samurai successfully demoralizes become frightened for one round, then shaken for one round (using the samurai’s -4 penalty rather than the standard -2).
Impetuous Endurance (Ex): Starting at 17th, a samurai’s fighting spirit enables him to push his body beyond the normal limits of endurance. He no longer automatically fails a saving throw on a roll of 1. He still might fail the save if his result fails to equal or beat the DC.
Kiai Warlord (Ex): At 20th level, the samurai’s prowess and skill in combat have become the stuff of legends, granting him a fear-inspiring presence. When the samurai draws his blade, opponents within 40 feet must succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + the samurai’s Cha modifier) or become frightened for 4d6 rounds. If a creature fails their Will save by 5 or more, they become panicked for 4d6 rounds instead. Creatures that succeed on their Will saves become shaken for 1 round. Any foe that successfully resists the effects of a samurai’s frightful presence cannot be affected by it again for 24 hours.
Code of Conduct: A samurai must be of lawful alignment, and he dishonors himself, his family, and his weapon if he ever willingly commits a chaotic act. Additionally, the samurai code of bushido requires that he be obedient to his lord, accept death at any time and face it bravely, avenge any dishonor, and shun any appearance of cowardice. The core principles of bushido are honor, loyalty, and courage. Violating these precepts results in dishonor, which in turn can result in a samurai being stripped of his family name or being asked to commit ritual suicide.
Ex- Samurai: A samurai who becomes non-lawful, violates the tenets of bushido cannot gain new levels as a samurai. He retains his class abilities, but his ancestral weapon loses any “awakened” magical abilities. If the samurai returns to a lawful alignment, he must atone for his violations (see the atonement spell description in the Player’s Handbook) and redeem his honor in order to restore his weapons to their prior status and continue advancing as a samurai.
A samurai that loses his ancestral weapon cannot gain new levels as a samurai until he recovers the weapon. He need only recover the weapon to resume training as a samurai, he does not have to atone or otherwise redeem his honor.
Author Notes:
Anyone familiar with the samurai class knows that it is a weak class incapable of keeping up with other 3.5 Base Classes (at least the Complete Warrior version is). It has some cool concepts, and is based off of arguably some of the greatest historical warriors, but the class itself just sucks. Then there is the Oriental Adventures version of the class, which is more flexible and delves into the supernatural aspects of the class with its ancestral daisho class ability (which I kept). My original thoughts were to simply combine the two classes into one samurai class, but then I realized that it would still be rather low on the totem pole of classes. That's when I decided to make it a martial adept class like the crusader, swordsage, or warblade. Having played a warblade, I knew that this idea would make for a much stronger (and in my opinion, much more enjoyable) class.
After coming to this decision, I had to figure out how I wanted the samurai to learn his martial maneuvers. I decided on allowing access to 4 schools (Crusader has access to 3, Warblade 5, and Swordsage 6). I then decided on the four schools: Devoted Spirit (based on the concept of a samurai's devotion to a lord and support from his ancestors), Iron Heart (based on the concept of a samurai only caring about pure martial skill), Setting Sun (more of a thematic choice since Japan has often been called the "Land of the Rising Sun"), and Stone Dragon (which is available to all martial adept classes in the ToB). I also wanted to make it so that the samurai has access to a unique combination of maneuvers and stances that the other classes may not have (such as being able to enter a Devoted Spirit stance while using Iron Heart maneuvers).
Then came the readying his maneuvers. I had originally intended on copying the swordsage's way of readying and refreshing maneuvers (more known and ready, but takes longer to refresh), but then I settled on following the warblade's way of doing it (less known and ready, but can refresh them all much faster), to an extent (I kept the full-round meditate action rather than the swift flourish action followed by an attack). However, the samurai learns stances in a similar fashion to the swordsage.
More importantly, I hope you all enjoy this revision of the samurai.
Giving credit where credit is due: the Art of War class ability is based off of the ability with the same name by Zieghander.
Added Iaijutsu Focus to the class skills list.