TravelLog
2011-10-16, 10:30 PM
KENSEI OF THE FIVE RINGS
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/165/9/4/Samurai_by_lubliner.jpg
A Kensei of the Five Rings in battle attire.
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho
There are those who fight for pride and for respect. This is not the Way. There are those who fight for glory and riches. Material things are fleeting, and thus this is not the Way. There are those who fight for power and for esteem. A man needs neither, and thus this is not the Way.
There are those who fight for the defeat of their enemies. This is a lesser thing, and not worthy of the Way. There are those who fight for their name or the name of their family. These are honorable, but they are not the Way. There are those who fight for their country or for their teachers. These too are honorable, but they are not the Way.
There are those who fight for mastery of themselves and their blades. This too, is not the Way.
There are those who fight because it brings them enjoyment and they revel in battle. This, my students, is also not the Way.
There are those who fight.
This, my students, is the Way.
Adventures: The road is as much a path to understanding as is any other form of study. A Kensei adventures, either alone or as part of a group, in a quest to align him or herself with the tenets of their Way or Do. No two Ways are identical, though they often share key aspects, like the pursuit of insight and understanding through battle.
Characteristics: Perhaps uniquely among the melee classes, the Kensei wields their weapon with a sense of detachment from battle. They do not revel in it as a barbarian does, or seek glory and honor like the paladin. A Kensei wields their blade as a form of meditation and ritual, where the other combatants serve as a canvas for their art and self-understanding. With the use of the five Ways, the Kensei transcends the typical bounds of the martial character, without resorting to magic.
Alignment: Kensei of the Five Rings come in many forms. Some Kensei seek the Way for personal growth, others seek it in the name of a great cause or for the sake of a friend. While most Kensei of the Five Rings are neutral, there is no real limit on those who follow the path.
Races: Humans, with their diverse interests and skills, are the most commonly seen Kensei of the Five Rings. That said, there have been Kensei from almost every race imaginable, particularly those that value wisdom and understanding in battle, as opposed to pure bloodlust.
Other Classes: Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, and Samurai all have some link with the Kensei. They see a fellow combatant who does not hesitate to enter battle and lay down his life in the pursuit of victory. However, the Kensei’s distant outlook on the world often creates a rift with the other martial classes. Similarly, while wizards and clerics can relate to Kensei intellectually, the pursuit of their enlightenment extends into realms beyond the mental.
Role: Kensei of the Five Rings are something of a curiosity. Because of their deep and profound connection to their weapons and their fighting style, Kensei make excellent physical combatants. However, their undeniable grasp of each of the five Ways grant them unique and powerful abilities beyond what might be expected of a typical warrior. Many theorize that the Ways are arcane or mystical in nature. The truth, however, is simply that those who truly understand them are able to tap into their own life energies.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Kensei of the Five Rings have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Wisdom and either Strength or Dexterity are the most important attributes for a Kensei of the Five Rings, the first because it defines their ability to make use of the various Ways, the second because a Kensei is primarily a melee combatant. As with all classes, a high Constitution score is useful for staying alive in battle. Intelligence and Charisma are relatively unimportant to a Kensei, as is either Strength or Dexterity, based on which one was chosen as the basis for their physical abilities.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d10
TABLE: KENSEI OF THE FIVE RINGS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack|Fort|Ref|Will|Special| Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known
1st|+1|+2|+1|+1|Niten Ichi Ryu|2|2|1
2nd|+2|+3|+1|+1|Way of the Insightful Earth|2|2|1
3rd|+3|+3|+2|+2| Weapons of the Way|3|2|1
4th|+4|+4|+2|+2|Bonus Feat|3|2|1
5th|+5|+4|+3|+3|Skills of the Way|4|3|2
6th|+6/+1|+5|+3|+3|Way of the Ever-shifting Waves, Niten Ichi Ryu (Improved)|4|3|2
7th|+7/+2|+5|+3|+3||5|3|2
8th|+8/+3|+6|+4|+4|Bonus feat|5|3|2
9th|+9/+4|+6|+4|+4|Resilience of the Way|6|4|2
10th|+10/+5|+7|+5|+5|Way of the Flickering Flames|6|4|3
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+5|+5|Niten Ichi Ryu (Greater)|7|4|3
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+6|+6|Bonus feat|7|4|3
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+6|+6|Fleetness of the Way|8|5|3
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+6|+6|Way of the Piercing Wind|8|5|3
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+7|+7||9|5|4
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+7|+7|Niten Ichi Ryu (Perfect), Bonus feat|9|5|4
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+8|+8||10|6|4
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+8|+8|Way of the Boundless Void|10|6|4
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+9|+9||11|6|4
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+9|+9|Master of the Way, Bonus feat|11|6|4[/table]
CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A Kensei of the Five Rings class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Iajustsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex)
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Kensei of the Five Rings gains proficiency with all simple and martial melee weapons (including those that can be used as thrown weapons), and one exotic martial melee weapon of their choice. They also gain proficiency with light and medium armor as well as with bucklers, though they gain proficiency with no other kind of shield.
"The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the
only reason a warrior fights is to win.”
--Miyamoto Musashi
Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of two martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Tiger Claw, Iron Heart, Desert Wind, and Stone Dragon. If Homebrew disciplines are used, you may exchange them on a one-for-one basis with either Iron Heart, Desert Wind, or Stone Dragon.
Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by Kensei of the Five Rings 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 learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the above table. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See Tome of Battle, page 39, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every fourth level after that (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 12th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 6th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready both of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them.
You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
You may, as a full round action, descend into a state of profound meditation, which does not provoke acts of opportunity. As a result of this meditation, you may recover a number of maneuvers equal to one-half your Wisdom modifier, rounded down (minimum 1).
Designer’s Note:
When deciding on how to recover maneuvers, I felt it important that the Kensei’s method of maneuver recovery not immediately render him equal to full martial adepts like the swordsage or warblade. I settled on a swordsage-style of recovery, but only allowing a lesser number of maneuvers to be recovered.
Stances: You begin playing knowing one 1st-level stance from one of your disciplines. At 5th, 10th, and 15th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.
Niten Ichi Ryu: Two Swords, One Soul (Ex): A Kensei of the Five Rings is a follower of the Niten Ichi Ryu school. Followers of Niten Ichi Ryu are not adept with merely one sword. Instead, they wield a pair of swords. The first is the main sword, while the second is a smaller companion sword.
As such, Kensei gain the Two-Weapon Fighting feat as a bonus feat, regardless of whether or not they meet the prerequisites. At 6th level, they gain the benefits of Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. At 11th level, they gain the benefits of Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, and at 16th level they gain the benefits of Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting. These benefits only apply so long as the Kensei of the Five Rings is wielding a larger weapon in his main-hand and a smaller weapon in his off-hand. The off-hand weapon must be of the Kensei’s size or smaller. The main-hand weapon cannot be more than one size category larger than the Kensei.
As part of this technique, a Kensei chooses whether to add their Strength or their Dexterity bonus to attack and damage rolls. Once chosen, this cannot be changed.
In my school a beginner learns the way by taking the large sword and the small sword in his hands at the same time. This is essential. If you are going to die in battle, it is desirable to utilize all the weapons you are carrying. It is deplorable to die with weapons left in their scabbards without having been capable of using them.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, Niten Ichi Ryu
Way of the Insightful Earth (Ex): At 2nd level, you have come to understand the ways of your enemies. You do not waste your time and effort in a futile examination of all that surrounds you. Instead, you simply center yourself and look outward, gathering in an understanding of all that surrounds you, and all that your enemies might wish to do.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to move unhindered, regardless of terrain. This does not apply to terrain requiring Climb or Swim checks nor any terrain or terrain features that have been magically manipulated and may not be used while wearing heavy armor. For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 6th level, in addition to the above benefits, the Kensei gains the ability to hinder the movement of his opponents. Any opponent moving into a square the Kensei threatens must treat the terrain as difficult, doubling their movement cost. Furthermore, the Kensei is free to take an additional 5’ step each round. Likewise, allies in any square the Kensei would normally threaten benefit from his ability to move unhindered, as Flawless Stride, the Scout ability, thanks to the Kensei's enhanced ability to project his understanding of the Way.
At 10th level, the Kensei of the Five Rings may attempt to negate one attack against them per round by making an opposing attack roll to block the attack with his main-hand weapon. If the attempt successfully negates the attack, the Kensei may make an attack of opportunity against the foe with his off-hand weapon. This does not count as one of the Kensei’s allotted attacks of opportunity per round. He may now also move unhindered through magically manipulated terrain.
At 14th level, the Kensei attempt to initiate a grapple against any enemy in contact with the ground as long as they are within a circle with a radius of 20’ from the Kensei as a standard action. If successful, the enemy is treated as if the Kensei were grappling them, the only difference being they are being grappled by the earth. The Kensei and opponent both treat the grapple as if it were normal, meaning the Kensei must maintain the grapple and the enemy may attempt to break the grapple as normal. The sole exception is that all size modifiers and penalties are ignored. Furthermore, allies attempting to attack the target may treat the target as flanked.
At 18th level, the Kensei gains Blindsight out to 60’ and may attempt to negate two attacks per round. Furthermore, the Kensei gains the ability to move through the earth, as Earth Glide, as a swift action once per 10 rounds, moving a distance during that time up to two-thirds his land speed. If he spends a full round action in meditation, he may increase the Blindsight an additional 5’ per point of Wisdom modifier. This ability lasts so long as the Kensei devotes a swift action each round to maintain his enhanced focus. Once he decides to cease doing so, the ability returns to normal. Meditation requires a full-round action with no swift or immediate actions allowed. If he's interrupted, he must start over, and if he takes damage, he must make a DC 20 Concentration check, to avoid losing his meditative state.
Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Earth
Weapons of the Way (Ex): By 3rd level, a Kensei has begun to achieve communion with his chosen weapons. These weapons have, like the Kensei, begun to gain greater understanding of the Way and increase in strength along with the Kensei. They gain a +1 enhancement bonus and gain an additional +1 every four levels after third (+2 total at 7th, +3 total at 11th, etc.). A Kensei may pay an additional sum of money to enchant these weapons normally, though their effective bonus can never exceed +10.
If either or both weapons are destroyed, the Kensei may undertake a week long ritual during which he reforges the weapons using his inner spirit. This forging is guided by the Way and does not require any form of Craft check. It simply requires sufficient amounts of the desired metal and a set of masterwork tools, as well as a sufficient heat source.
Bonus Feat (Ex): At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, Kensei of the Five Rings gain a bonus feat from either the list of Fighter Bonus Feats, or from the Tome of Battle. Prerequisites must still be met in order to select a feat.
Skills of the Way (Ex): A Kensei is a man of battle, but he is also a man of wisdom and ability. At 5th level, by spending 5 minutes in meditation, a Kensei may sacrificing any amount of his BAB (using his highest modifier, iterative attack bonuses do not count for this purpose) to gain an equal number of temporary ranks in any one skill for a number of minutes up to equal to four times his Wisdom modifier (the Kensei can decide how long he wishes the exchange to last within this time frame. Once a time limit is chosen, it cannot be extended or reduced). During this time, his BAB is lowered by the requisite amount and cannot be recovered by any means. This is a competence bonus and cannot stack.
Way of the Ever-shifting Waves (Ex): At 6th level, a Kensei of the Five Rings has gained an understanding of flexibility in battle, in improvising and adapting to the techniques of one’s enemy. The Kensei can now assess his opponents in a heartbeat, and change his strategy accordingly.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to make a Sense Motive check against an opponent as a full round action, opposed by a Bluff check made by the opponent, adding their HD to their total ranks in Bluff. If the check succeeds, the Kensei gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls against that enemy, and an additional +1 for every 5 by which they beat the check (minimum +2). For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 10th level, in addition to the above benefits, the Kensei gains the ability to analyze the opponent further. If the Sense Motive check succeeds, the Kensei gains the knowledge of one of the opponent’s special abilities or special attacks. If it succeeds by 5 or more, the Kensei gains knowledge of one each of the opponents, spell-like/extraordinary/supernatural abilities, and one feat possessed by the opponent. If the check succeeds by 10 or more, the Kensei may learn all of the information about any one of the above categories (i.e. all SLAs, all feats, etc.). If the check succeeds by 15 or more, they gain information about all of the creature’s feats, abilities, etc. This ability may only be used during combat, on an enemy that the Kensei has successfully struck with a martial maneuver.
At 14th level, the Kensei gains the ability to react with incredible accuracy to an opponent’s attacks. Once per round, the Kensei may make an opposing attack roll against an opponent as an immediate action when that opponent initiates an attack on the Kensei or on one of the Kensei’s allies within 10’. If the roll succeeds, the Kensei may make a single attack against that foe with each of his weapons or use a single martial maneuver.
At 18th level, the Kensei can so fully understand their opponents that they may spend a full round of analysis to gain a form of limited precognition about their opponent. After spending the full round of analysis, the Kensei gains the effects of Foresight as the spell, for the rest of the encounter. Alternatively, the Kensei may spend a standard action and gain the effects of foresight for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier.
In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Water
Resilience of the Way (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a kensei receives energy resistance for each Way path he has unlocked as a result of his growing spiritual powers. They are as follows:
Way of the Insightful Earth: Acid
Way of the Ever-shifting Waves: Cold
Way of the Flickering Flames: Fire
Way of the Piercing Wind: Electricity
Way of the Boundless Void: Force
The kensei's resilience comes from his natural physical condition, as well as his connection to the Way. The amount of energy resistance he receives is equal to 5 points per 1.5 points of his Constitution modifier (minimum 5). If this would give him 30 or higher energy resistance, he instead gains immunity to that specific energy type.
Way of the Flickering Flames (Ex): By 10th level, the Kensei has fallen deeply into the currents of the various Ways. So great is his prowess in battle that he may move through a horde of men as if he were a ghost, a candle flame twisting and turning along the path of the zephyr.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to move up to 1/3rd his land speed each round as a swift action in addition to his normal movement. For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 14th level, the Kensei gains the ability to treat his swift-action movement as if it was a charge. Furthermore, he gains the Pounce ability.
At 18th level, the Kensei may move up to his land speed as a swift action each round. During this movement, the Kensei is treated as if he were ethereal if it is beneficial for him to do so and may pass through otherwise impermeable mundane objects such as stone or wood. If at the end of this movement the Kensei would become solid within an object, he is shunted to the nearest open space and dealt 1d6 damage for each 5’ required to get him into open space.
As one man can defeat ten men, so can one thousand men defeat ten thousand. However, you can become a master of strategy by training alone with a sword, so that you can understand the enemy's stratagems, his strength and resources, and come to appreciate how to apply strategy to beat ten thousand.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Fire
Fleetness of the Way (Ex): As a result of the Kensei's extraordinary spiritual ties to the Ways, he is able to draw some of their energy directly into his body in order to hone his body's natural movement. As a result, the Kensei gains a bonus to his land speed equal to 10' per Way which he can access. At 20th level, this ability is enhanced such that the addition becomes 15' per Way.
Way of the Piercing Wind (Ex): As a Kensei gains greater understanding of the various Ways, he also gains an understanding of himself and the way in which he perceives battle. From this understanding, he gains greater strength and ability in combat, allowing him to bypass the natural Ways and harness their power in unique combinations.
When this ability is first gained, it allows the Kensei of the Five Rings to channel his personal affinity to his weapons and the Way into a devastating strike against his opponents. By spending a standard action in meditation, the Kensei may then use a standard action the next round to initiate a full-attack against an opponent. This attack ignores all forms of damage reduction and immunities that would prevent the Kensei’s blade from striking and dealing damage to the opponent, and prevents the target from healing itself or regenerating for 1d8 rounds. Any immunities unrelated to these will be unaffected (for example, a Kensei will always be able to deal damage to Incorporeal foes with this ability, but any extra damage that might result from the Icy Burst ability would not occur if the foe had Cold Immunity, since he can still deal some form of damage).
At 18th level, the Kensei is able to make his strikes so powerful as to sever the air itself. By meditating as above, the Kensei can center himself and charge his blade with all the force of the Wind. When he attacks the next round, his blades are able to instantly disintegrate any object they come into contact with by severing the atomic bonds binding them together. Rather than fall to pieces, the object is for all purposes annihilated, dispersed to nothing more than invisible specks of dust. This effects constructs, walls of force, undead, and all other non-living matter. The target is entitled to a Fortitude save with a DC equal to 16 plus the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier. If the save succeeds, they instead take 10d6 points of damage.
Whenever you cross swords with an enemy you must not think of cutting him either strongly or weakly; just think of cutting and killing him. Be intent solely on killing the enemy. Do not try to cut strongly and, of course, do not think of cutting weakly. You should only be concerned with killing the enemy.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Wind
Way of the Boundless Void (Ex): The Void is infinite and endless. So too is battle and so too is life. What seems a beginning is actually an end, and what appears an end is truly a beginning. At 18th level, the Kensei has slowly come to gain a hint of insight into this endless cycle.
This ability allows the Kensei to do things which are normally not possible. The Kensei may, by first using any one of the abilities granted him by the four previous Ways on an opponent, bind his life force to that of an opponent. This technique requires a full round action to initiate, and once initiated, cannot be left unfinished, even if the Kensei so desires.
When the technique is initiated, the foe is entitled to make either a Bluff or Sense motive check opposed by a Sense Motive check from the Kensei. If the opposed check succeeds, then the enemy is simply unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1/4th the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier, rounded down. If the check fails, the Kensei and the affected enemy, along with all other creatures with 10’, are transported to a pavilion amidst an endless field of white and black flowers.
If they so desire, they may speak with one another for up to one full minute. However, no one is capable of any action other than speaking (mundanely, no spells or any other sonic abilities may be initiated), except one. The Kensei, and only the Kensei, may ritually stab himself with both blades. This technique is instantly fatal to both the Kensei and the opponent. However, thanks to his mastery of the Void, the Kensei’s weapons, containing his soul, are returned to the Material Plane and the Kensei’s allies, and may be used as a template for the Kensei’s eventual revivification.
Additionally, due to the immense spiritual drain required to use this ability, should the Kensei be revived, he will have suffered the loss of a single level, which cannot be restored by any means short of direct divine intervention (the deity themselves must do so of their own initiative, it cannot be the result of a wish, limited wish, miracle or any other such ability which requests divine aid).
By Void I mean that which has no beginning and no end. Attaining this principle means not attaining the principle. The Way of strategy is the Way of nature. When you appreciate the power of nature, knowing the rhythm of any situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally. All this is the Way of the Void.
What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. Of course the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.
In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Void
Master of the Way (Ex): By 20th level, the Kensei of the Five Rings has finally understood the fullness of the Way. He is forever more treated as a native outsider, and may choose among the [Fire], [Water], [Earth], [Air], and subtypes. The subtype chosen may be changed by spending 5 minutes in meditation as a reflection of the Kensei’s affinity for each of the five Ways. They gain all of the benefits of the Outsider type, as well as the benefits of any subtype they have currently chosen. Additionally, when using the [Earth] subtype, the Kensei gains a burrow speed equal to two-thirds his base land speed. Likewise, when using the [Air] subtype, a Kensei grows a pair of nearly invisible wings which can only be seen when reflected in the surface of a blade, granting him a fly speed equal to 1.5x his base land speed with good maneuverability.
Alternate Class Features
Way of the Boundless Void:
What you lose: Original "Way of the Boundless Void"
What you gain: A modified version of lesser power (changes in italics).
The Effect: The Void is infinite and endless. So too is battle and so too is life. What seems a beginning is actually an end, and what appears an end is truly a beginning. At 18th level, the Kensei has slowly come to gain a hint of insight into this endless cycle.
This ability allows the Kensei to do things which are normally not possible. The Kensei may, by first using any one of the abilities granted him by the four previous Ways on an opponent, bind his life force to that of an opponent. This technique requires a full round action to initiate, and once initiated, cannot be left unfinished, even if the Kensei so desires.
When the technique is initiated, the foe is entitled to make either a Bluff or Sense motive check opposed by a Sense Motive check from the Kensei. If the opposed check succeeds, then the enemy is simply unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1/4th the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier, rounded down. If the check fails, the Kensei and the affected enemy are transported to a pavilion amidst an endless field of white and black flowers for 1d6 rounds. During this time, an area around the Kensei's original location, in a circle with a diameter of 500', is affected by the effect of [I]timestop as the spell. All creatures and objects within the area are affected, regardless of whether or not the Kensei desires them to be.
Meanwhile, the Kensei and the original target are free to act for the duration of this effect and are treated as being within a Zone of Truth. The opponent is forced to treat all terrain as difficult, must remain on the ground (meaning no flight or burrowing). Furthermore, the enemy is unable to use any mind-effecting abilities or spells on the Kensei, and any auras they possess are dampened for the duration. Finally, the enemy takes -2 to all rolls made for effects that would include or target the Kensei and they are unable to heal or regenerate during this time, by any means.
Change Log:
1.0: Original version.
1.1: Added Climb to class skills, removed Survival. Clarified Way of the Insightful Earth's Wisdom to AC to only be for less than heavy armor and clarified recovery for the Stone Dragon maneuver/stance. Made counter-attacking as part of Way of the Ever-shifting Waves an immediate action. Reworked Way of the Piercing Wind and added burrow/fly speed to Mastery of the Way.
1.2: Heavily revamped Way of the Insightful Earth. Altered the 18th level ability of Way of the Ever-shifting Waves and made other minor changes. Altered Way of the Piercing Wind and made minor changes to Way of the Boundless Void. Added Skills of the Way at 5th level and moved the improvements to Niten Ichi Ryu to 6th, 11th, and 16th
1.3: Minor changes to durations for Way of the Insightful Earth and Way of the Ever-shifting Waves. Skills of the Way made a competence bonus.
1.4: Added Way of the Boundless Void ACF
1.5: Added Resilience of the Way and Fleetness of the Way
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/165/9/4/Samurai_by_lubliner.jpg
A Kensei of the Five Rings in battle attire.
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho
There are those who fight for pride and for respect. This is not the Way. There are those who fight for glory and riches. Material things are fleeting, and thus this is not the Way. There are those who fight for power and for esteem. A man needs neither, and thus this is not the Way.
There are those who fight for the defeat of their enemies. This is a lesser thing, and not worthy of the Way. There are those who fight for their name or the name of their family. These are honorable, but they are not the Way. There are those who fight for their country or for their teachers. These too are honorable, but they are not the Way.
There are those who fight for mastery of themselves and their blades. This too, is not the Way.
There are those who fight because it brings them enjoyment and they revel in battle. This, my students, is also not the Way.
There are those who fight.
This, my students, is the Way.
Adventures: The road is as much a path to understanding as is any other form of study. A Kensei adventures, either alone or as part of a group, in a quest to align him or herself with the tenets of their Way or Do. No two Ways are identical, though they often share key aspects, like the pursuit of insight and understanding through battle.
Characteristics: Perhaps uniquely among the melee classes, the Kensei wields their weapon with a sense of detachment from battle. They do not revel in it as a barbarian does, or seek glory and honor like the paladin. A Kensei wields their blade as a form of meditation and ritual, where the other combatants serve as a canvas for their art and self-understanding. With the use of the five Ways, the Kensei transcends the typical bounds of the martial character, without resorting to magic.
Alignment: Kensei of the Five Rings come in many forms. Some Kensei seek the Way for personal growth, others seek it in the name of a great cause or for the sake of a friend. While most Kensei of the Five Rings are neutral, there is no real limit on those who follow the path.
Races: Humans, with their diverse interests and skills, are the most commonly seen Kensei of the Five Rings. That said, there have been Kensei from almost every race imaginable, particularly those that value wisdom and understanding in battle, as opposed to pure bloodlust.
Other Classes: Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, and Samurai all have some link with the Kensei. They see a fellow combatant who does not hesitate to enter battle and lay down his life in the pursuit of victory. However, the Kensei’s distant outlook on the world often creates a rift with the other martial classes. Similarly, while wizards and clerics can relate to Kensei intellectually, the pursuit of their enlightenment extends into realms beyond the mental.
Role: Kensei of the Five Rings are something of a curiosity. Because of their deep and profound connection to their weapons and their fighting style, Kensei make excellent physical combatants. However, their undeniable grasp of each of the five Ways grant them unique and powerful abilities beyond what might be expected of a typical warrior. Many theorize that the Ways are arcane or mystical in nature. The truth, however, is simply that those who truly understand them are able to tap into their own life energies.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Kensei of the Five Rings have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Wisdom and either Strength or Dexterity are the most important attributes for a Kensei of the Five Rings, the first because it defines their ability to make use of the various Ways, the second because a Kensei is primarily a melee combatant. As with all classes, a high Constitution score is useful for staying alive in battle. Intelligence and Charisma are relatively unimportant to a Kensei, as is either Strength or Dexterity, based on which one was chosen as the basis for their physical abilities.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d10
TABLE: KENSEI OF THE FIVE RINGS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack|Fort|Ref|Will|Special| Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known
1st|+1|+2|+1|+1|Niten Ichi Ryu|2|2|1
2nd|+2|+3|+1|+1|Way of the Insightful Earth|2|2|1
3rd|+3|+3|+2|+2| Weapons of the Way|3|2|1
4th|+4|+4|+2|+2|Bonus Feat|3|2|1
5th|+5|+4|+3|+3|Skills of the Way|4|3|2
6th|+6/+1|+5|+3|+3|Way of the Ever-shifting Waves, Niten Ichi Ryu (Improved)|4|3|2
7th|+7/+2|+5|+3|+3||5|3|2
8th|+8/+3|+6|+4|+4|Bonus feat|5|3|2
9th|+9/+4|+6|+4|+4|Resilience of the Way|6|4|2
10th|+10/+5|+7|+5|+5|Way of the Flickering Flames|6|4|3
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+5|+5|Niten Ichi Ryu (Greater)|7|4|3
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+6|+6|Bonus feat|7|4|3
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+6|+6|Fleetness of the Way|8|5|3
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+6|+6|Way of the Piercing Wind|8|5|3
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+7|+7||9|5|4
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+7|+7|Niten Ichi Ryu (Perfect), Bonus feat|9|5|4
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+8|+8||10|6|4
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+8|+8|Way of the Boundless Void|10|6|4
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+9|+9||11|6|4
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+9|+9|Master of the Way, Bonus feat|11|6|4[/table]
CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A Kensei of the Five Rings class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Iajustsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex)
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Kensei of the Five Rings gains proficiency with all simple and martial melee weapons (including those that can be used as thrown weapons), and one exotic martial melee weapon of their choice. They also gain proficiency with light and medium armor as well as with bucklers, though they gain proficiency with no other kind of shield.
"The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the
only reason a warrior fights is to win.”
--Miyamoto Musashi
Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of two martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Tiger Claw, Iron Heart, Desert Wind, and Stone Dragon. If Homebrew disciplines are used, you may exchange them on a one-for-one basis with either Iron Heart, Desert Wind, or Stone Dragon.
Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by Kensei of the Five Rings 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 learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the above table. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See Tome of Battle, page 39, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every fourth level after that (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 12th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 6th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready both of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them.
You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
You may, as a full round action, descend into a state of profound meditation, which does not provoke acts of opportunity. As a result of this meditation, you may recover a number of maneuvers equal to one-half your Wisdom modifier, rounded down (minimum 1).
Designer’s Note:
When deciding on how to recover maneuvers, I felt it important that the Kensei’s method of maneuver recovery not immediately render him equal to full martial adepts like the swordsage or warblade. I settled on a swordsage-style of recovery, but only allowing a lesser number of maneuvers to be recovered.
Stances: You begin playing knowing one 1st-level stance from one of your disciplines. At 5th, 10th, and 15th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.
Niten Ichi Ryu: Two Swords, One Soul (Ex): A Kensei of the Five Rings is a follower of the Niten Ichi Ryu school. Followers of Niten Ichi Ryu are not adept with merely one sword. Instead, they wield a pair of swords. The first is the main sword, while the second is a smaller companion sword.
As such, Kensei gain the Two-Weapon Fighting feat as a bonus feat, regardless of whether or not they meet the prerequisites. At 6th level, they gain the benefits of Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. At 11th level, they gain the benefits of Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, and at 16th level they gain the benefits of Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting. These benefits only apply so long as the Kensei of the Five Rings is wielding a larger weapon in his main-hand and a smaller weapon in his off-hand. The off-hand weapon must be of the Kensei’s size or smaller. The main-hand weapon cannot be more than one size category larger than the Kensei.
As part of this technique, a Kensei chooses whether to add their Strength or their Dexterity bonus to attack and damage rolls. Once chosen, this cannot be changed.
In my school a beginner learns the way by taking the large sword and the small sword in his hands at the same time. This is essential. If you are going to die in battle, it is desirable to utilize all the weapons you are carrying. It is deplorable to die with weapons left in their scabbards without having been capable of using them.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, Niten Ichi Ryu
Way of the Insightful Earth (Ex): At 2nd level, you have come to understand the ways of your enemies. You do not waste your time and effort in a futile examination of all that surrounds you. Instead, you simply center yourself and look outward, gathering in an understanding of all that surrounds you, and all that your enemies might wish to do.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to move unhindered, regardless of terrain. This does not apply to terrain requiring Climb or Swim checks nor any terrain or terrain features that have been magically manipulated and may not be used while wearing heavy armor. For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 6th level, in addition to the above benefits, the Kensei gains the ability to hinder the movement of his opponents. Any opponent moving into a square the Kensei threatens must treat the terrain as difficult, doubling their movement cost. Furthermore, the Kensei is free to take an additional 5’ step each round. Likewise, allies in any square the Kensei would normally threaten benefit from his ability to move unhindered, as Flawless Stride, the Scout ability, thanks to the Kensei's enhanced ability to project his understanding of the Way.
At 10th level, the Kensei of the Five Rings may attempt to negate one attack against them per round by making an opposing attack roll to block the attack with his main-hand weapon. If the attempt successfully negates the attack, the Kensei may make an attack of opportunity against the foe with his off-hand weapon. This does not count as one of the Kensei’s allotted attacks of opportunity per round. He may now also move unhindered through magically manipulated terrain.
At 14th level, the Kensei attempt to initiate a grapple against any enemy in contact with the ground as long as they are within a circle with a radius of 20’ from the Kensei as a standard action. If successful, the enemy is treated as if the Kensei were grappling them, the only difference being they are being grappled by the earth. The Kensei and opponent both treat the grapple as if it were normal, meaning the Kensei must maintain the grapple and the enemy may attempt to break the grapple as normal. The sole exception is that all size modifiers and penalties are ignored. Furthermore, allies attempting to attack the target may treat the target as flanked.
At 18th level, the Kensei gains Blindsight out to 60’ and may attempt to negate two attacks per round. Furthermore, the Kensei gains the ability to move through the earth, as Earth Glide, as a swift action once per 10 rounds, moving a distance during that time up to two-thirds his land speed. If he spends a full round action in meditation, he may increase the Blindsight an additional 5’ per point of Wisdom modifier. This ability lasts so long as the Kensei devotes a swift action each round to maintain his enhanced focus. Once he decides to cease doing so, the ability returns to normal. Meditation requires a full-round action with no swift or immediate actions allowed. If he's interrupted, he must start over, and if he takes damage, he must make a DC 20 Concentration check, to avoid losing his meditative state.
Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Earth
Weapons of the Way (Ex): By 3rd level, a Kensei has begun to achieve communion with his chosen weapons. These weapons have, like the Kensei, begun to gain greater understanding of the Way and increase in strength along with the Kensei. They gain a +1 enhancement bonus and gain an additional +1 every four levels after third (+2 total at 7th, +3 total at 11th, etc.). A Kensei may pay an additional sum of money to enchant these weapons normally, though their effective bonus can never exceed +10.
If either or both weapons are destroyed, the Kensei may undertake a week long ritual during which he reforges the weapons using his inner spirit. This forging is guided by the Way and does not require any form of Craft check. It simply requires sufficient amounts of the desired metal and a set of masterwork tools, as well as a sufficient heat source.
Bonus Feat (Ex): At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, Kensei of the Five Rings gain a bonus feat from either the list of Fighter Bonus Feats, or from the Tome of Battle. Prerequisites must still be met in order to select a feat.
Skills of the Way (Ex): A Kensei is a man of battle, but he is also a man of wisdom and ability. At 5th level, by spending 5 minutes in meditation, a Kensei may sacrificing any amount of his BAB (using his highest modifier, iterative attack bonuses do not count for this purpose) to gain an equal number of temporary ranks in any one skill for a number of minutes up to equal to four times his Wisdom modifier (the Kensei can decide how long he wishes the exchange to last within this time frame. Once a time limit is chosen, it cannot be extended or reduced). During this time, his BAB is lowered by the requisite amount and cannot be recovered by any means. This is a competence bonus and cannot stack.
Way of the Ever-shifting Waves (Ex): At 6th level, a Kensei of the Five Rings has gained an understanding of flexibility in battle, in improvising and adapting to the techniques of one’s enemy. The Kensei can now assess his opponents in a heartbeat, and change his strategy accordingly.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to make a Sense Motive check against an opponent as a full round action, opposed by a Bluff check made by the opponent, adding their HD to their total ranks in Bluff. If the check succeeds, the Kensei gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls against that enemy, and an additional +1 for every 5 by which they beat the check (minimum +2). For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 10th level, in addition to the above benefits, the Kensei gains the ability to analyze the opponent further. If the Sense Motive check succeeds, the Kensei gains the knowledge of one of the opponent’s special abilities or special attacks. If it succeeds by 5 or more, the Kensei gains knowledge of one each of the opponents, spell-like/extraordinary/supernatural abilities, and one feat possessed by the opponent. If the check succeeds by 10 or more, the Kensei may learn all of the information about any one of the above categories (i.e. all SLAs, all feats, etc.). If the check succeeds by 15 or more, they gain information about all of the creature’s feats, abilities, etc. This ability may only be used during combat, on an enemy that the Kensei has successfully struck with a martial maneuver.
At 14th level, the Kensei gains the ability to react with incredible accuracy to an opponent’s attacks. Once per round, the Kensei may make an opposing attack roll against an opponent as an immediate action when that opponent initiates an attack on the Kensei or on one of the Kensei’s allies within 10’. If the roll succeeds, the Kensei may make a single attack against that foe with each of his weapons or use a single martial maneuver.
At 18th level, the Kensei can so fully understand their opponents that they may spend a full round of analysis to gain a form of limited precognition about their opponent. After spending the full round of analysis, the Kensei gains the effects of Foresight as the spell, for the rest of the encounter. Alternatively, the Kensei may spend a standard action and gain the effects of foresight for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier.
In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Water
Resilience of the Way (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a kensei receives energy resistance for each Way path he has unlocked as a result of his growing spiritual powers. They are as follows:
Way of the Insightful Earth: Acid
Way of the Ever-shifting Waves: Cold
Way of the Flickering Flames: Fire
Way of the Piercing Wind: Electricity
Way of the Boundless Void: Force
The kensei's resilience comes from his natural physical condition, as well as his connection to the Way. The amount of energy resistance he receives is equal to 5 points per 1.5 points of his Constitution modifier (minimum 5). If this would give him 30 or higher energy resistance, he instead gains immunity to that specific energy type.
Way of the Flickering Flames (Ex): By 10th level, the Kensei has fallen deeply into the currents of the various Ways. So great is his prowess in battle that he may move through a horde of men as if he were a ghost, a candle flame twisting and turning along the path of the zephyr.
When this ability is first gained, it grants the Kensei of the Five Rings the ability to move up to 1/3rd his land speed each round as a swift action in addition to his normal movement. For each additional Way known to the Kensei, new benefits are earned.
At 14th level, the Kensei gains the ability to treat his swift-action movement as if it was a charge. Furthermore, he gains the Pounce ability.
At 18th level, the Kensei may move up to his land speed as a swift action each round. During this movement, the Kensei is treated as if he were ethereal if it is beneficial for him to do so and may pass through otherwise impermeable mundane objects such as stone or wood. If at the end of this movement the Kensei would become solid within an object, he is shunted to the nearest open space and dealt 1d6 damage for each 5’ required to get him into open space.
As one man can defeat ten men, so can one thousand men defeat ten thousand. However, you can become a master of strategy by training alone with a sword, so that you can understand the enemy's stratagems, his strength and resources, and come to appreciate how to apply strategy to beat ten thousand.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Fire
Fleetness of the Way (Ex): As a result of the Kensei's extraordinary spiritual ties to the Ways, he is able to draw some of their energy directly into his body in order to hone his body's natural movement. As a result, the Kensei gains a bonus to his land speed equal to 10' per Way which he can access. At 20th level, this ability is enhanced such that the addition becomes 15' per Way.
Way of the Piercing Wind (Ex): As a Kensei gains greater understanding of the various Ways, he also gains an understanding of himself and the way in which he perceives battle. From this understanding, he gains greater strength and ability in combat, allowing him to bypass the natural Ways and harness their power in unique combinations.
When this ability is first gained, it allows the Kensei of the Five Rings to channel his personal affinity to his weapons and the Way into a devastating strike against his opponents. By spending a standard action in meditation, the Kensei may then use a standard action the next round to initiate a full-attack against an opponent. This attack ignores all forms of damage reduction and immunities that would prevent the Kensei’s blade from striking and dealing damage to the opponent, and prevents the target from healing itself or regenerating for 1d8 rounds. Any immunities unrelated to these will be unaffected (for example, a Kensei will always be able to deal damage to Incorporeal foes with this ability, but any extra damage that might result from the Icy Burst ability would not occur if the foe had Cold Immunity, since he can still deal some form of damage).
At 18th level, the Kensei is able to make his strikes so powerful as to sever the air itself. By meditating as above, the Kensei can center himself and charge his blade with all the force of the Wind. When he attacks the next round, his blades are able to instantly disintegrate any object they come into contact with by severing the atomic bonds binding them together. Rather than fall to pieces, the object is for all purposes annihilated, dispersed to nothing more than invisible specks of dust. This effects constructs, walls of force, undead, and all other non-living matter. The target is entitled to a Fortitude save with a DC equal to 16 plus the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier. If the save succeeds, they instead take 10d6 points of damage.
Whenever you cross swords with an enemy you must not think of cutting him either strongly or weakly; just think of cutting and killing him. Be intent solely on killing the enemy. Do not try to cut strongly and, of course, do not think of cutting weakly. You should only be concerned with killing the enemy.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Wind
Way of the Boundless Void (Ex): The Void is infinite and endless. So too is battle and so too is life. What seems a beginning is actually an end, and what appears an end is truly a beginning. At 18th level, the Kensei has slowly come to gain a hint of insight into this endless cycle.
This ability allows the Kensei to do things which are normally not possible. The Kensei may, by first using any one of the abilities granted him by the four previous Ways on an opponent, bind his life force to that of an opponent. This technique requires a full round action to initiate, and once initiated, cannot be left unfinished, even if the Kensei so desires.
When the technique is initiated, the foe is entitled to make either a Bluff or Sense motive check opposed by a Sense Motive check from the Kensei. If the opposed check succeeds, then the enemy is simply unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1/4th the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier, rounded down. If the check fails, the Kensei and the affected enemy, along with all other creatures with 10’, are transported to a pavilion amidst an endless field of white and black flowers.
If they so desire, they may speak with one another for up to one full minute. However, no one is capable of any action other than speaking (mundanely, no spells or any other sonic abilities may be initiated), except one. The Kensei, and only the Kensei, may ritually stab himself with both blades. This technique is instantly fatal to both the Kensei and the opponent. However, thanks to his mastery of the Void, the Kensei’s weapons, containing his soul, are returned to the Material Plane and the Kensei’s allies, and may be used as a template for the Kensei’s eventual revivification.
Additionally, due to the immense spiritual drain required to use this ability, should the Kensei be revived, he will have suffered the loss of a single level, which cannot be restored by any means short of direct divine intervention (the deity themselves must do so of their own initiative, it cannot be the result of a wish, limited wish, miracle or any other such ability which requests divine aid).
By Void I mean that which has no beginning and no end. Attaining this principle means not attaining the principle. The Way of strategy is the Way of nature. When you appreciate the power of nature, knowing the rhythm of any situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally. All this is the Way of the Void.
What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. Of course the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.
In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.
--Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Void
Master of the Way (Ex): By 20th level, the Kensei of the Five Rings has finally understood the fullness of the Way. He is forever more treated as a native outsider, and may choose among the [Fire], [Water], [Earth], [Air], and subtypes. The subtype chosen may be changed by spending 5 minutes in meditation as a reflection of the Kensei’s affinity for each of the five Ways. They gain all of the benefits of the Outsider type, as well as the benefits of any subtype they have currently chosen. Additionally, when using the [Earth] subtype, the Kensei gains a burrow speed equal to two-thirds his base land speed. Likewise, when using the [Air] subtype, a Kensei grows a pair of nearly invisible wings which can only be seen when reflected in the surface of a blade, granting him a fly speed equal to 1.5x his base land speed with good maneuverability.
Alternate Class Features
Way of the Boundless Void:
What you lose: Original "Way of the Boundless Void"
What you gain: A modified version of lesser power (changes in italics).
The Effect: The Void is infinite and endless. So too is battle and so too is life. What seems a beginning is actually an end, and what appears an end is truly a beginning. At 18th level, the Kensei has slowly come to gain a hint of insight into this endless cycle.
This ability allows the Kensei to do things which are normally not possible. The Kensei may, by first using any one of the abilities granted him by the four previous Ways on an opponent, bind his life force to that of an opponent. This technique requires a full round action to initiate, and once initiated, cannot be left unfinished, even if the Kensei so desires.
When the technique is initiated, the foe is entitled to make either a Bluff or Sense motive check opposed by a Sense Motive check from the Kensei. If the opposed check succeeds, then the enemy is simply unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1/4th the Kensei’s Wisdom modifier, rounded down. If the check fails, the Kensei and the affected enemy are transported to a pavilion amidst an endless field of white and black flowers for 1d6 rounds. During this time, an area around the Kensei's original location, in a circle with a diameter of 500', is affected by the effect of [I]timestop as the spell. All creatures and objects within the area are affected, regardless of whether or not the Kensei desires them to be.
Meanwhile, the Kensei and the original target are free to act for the duration of this effect and are treated as being within a Zone of Truth. The opponent is forced to treat all terrain as difficult, must remain on the ground (meaning no flight or burrowing). Furthermore, the enemy is unable to use any mind-effecting abilities or spells on the Kensei, and any auras they possess are dampened for the duration. Finally, the enemy takes -2 to all rolls made for effects that would include or target the Kensei and they are unable to heal or regenerate during this time, by any means.
Change Log:
1.0: Original version.
1.1: Added Climb to class skills, removed Survival. Clarified Way of the Insightful Earth's Wisdom to AC to only be for less than heavy armor and clarified recovery for the Stone Dragon maneuver/stance. Made counter-attacking as part of Way of the Ever-shifting Waves an immediate action. Reworked Way of the Piercing Wind and added burrow/fly speed to Mastery of the Way.
1.2: Heavily revamped Way of the Insightful Earth. Altered the 18th level ability of Way of the Ever-shifting Waves and made other minor changes. Altered Way of the Piercing Wind and made minor changes to Way of the Boundless Void. Added Skills of the Way at 5th level and moved the improvements to Niten Ichi Ryu to 6th, 11th, and 16th
1.3: Minor changes to durations for Way of the Insightful Earth and Way of the Ever-shifting Waves. Skills of the Way made a competence bonus.
1.4: Added Way of the Boundless Void ACF
1.5: Added Resilience of the Way and Fleetness of the Way