Base Class: Blade Lord (or, "Speak softly and carry a BFS.")

[Tintenseher]

"A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

https://i.imgur.com/yjtw0fN.jpg?2

Description: An extreme variant on the Fighter, the Blade Lord (based on Shamus Young's original (http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=14)) forgoes the former's extensive martial training for the ability to use a massive magical weapon that increases in power as it strikes down enemies.

Starting Gold: 4d6 x 8
Skill Points: 4 + Int (x 4)
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)
Starting Age: As a fighter.
Abilities: As a front-line fighter, a blade lord benefits from high Strength and Constitution scores. High Intelligence makes up for their lack of skill points, and a decent Dexterity boosts their AC. Some of their weapon's abilities last longer based on the blade lord's Wisdom score.
Alignment: Any.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A blade lord is proficient with simple weapons, their family weapon, and all light and medium armors (but not shields).




Level
BAB
Fortitude
Reflex
Will
Special
Weapon Level
Weapon Size
Maximum Enhancement Bonus


1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Quick Draw
1
As the blade blord's
—


2
+2
+3
+0
+0
—
1
As the blade lord's
—


3
+3
+3
+1
+1
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +1
2
As the blade lord's
+0


4
+4
+4
+1
+1
—
3
As the blade lord's
+0


5
+5
+4
+1
+1
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +2, Bonus Feat
3
As the blade lord's
+1


6
+6/+1
+5
+2
+2
—
4
As the blade lord's
+1


7
+7/+2
+5
+2
+2
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +3
5
As the blade lord's
+2


8
+8/+3
+6
+2
+2
—
6
As the blade lord's
+2


9
+9/+4
+6
+3
+3
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +4
6
As the blade lord's
+2


10
+10/+5
+7
+3
+3
—
7
One category above the blade lord's
+3


11
+11/+6/+1
+7
+3
+3
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +5, Bonus Feat
8
One category above the blade lord's
+3


12
+12/+7/+2
+8
+4
+4
—
9
One category above the blade lord's
+3


13
+13/+8/+3
+8
+4
+4
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +6
9
One category above the blade lord's
+4


14
+14/+9/+4
+9
+4
+4
—
10
One category above the blade lord's
+4


15
+15/+10/+5
+9
+5
+5
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +7
11
One category above the blade lord's
+4


16
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+5
+5
—
12
One category above the blade lord's
—


17
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+5
+5
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +8, Bonus Feat
12
One category above the blade lord's
—


18
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+6
+6
—
13
One category above the blade lord's
—


19
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+6
+6
Enhanced Ancestral Weapon +9
14
One category above the blade lord's
—


20
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+6
+6
—
15
Two categories above the blade lord's
—



Bonus Feats:
At 1st level, a blade lord gets Quick Draw as a bonus feat. The blade lord gains an additional bonus feat at 5th, 11th, and 17th level. These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as fighter bonus feats. A blade lord must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

Rigorous Training:
A blade lord’s rigorous training means that their chosen weapon (see below) is essentially “free” weight, and does not count against the blade lord for skill checks or encumbrance. (For other purposes, the weapon is 3/2 of its normal weight.)

Ancestral Weapon Proficiency:
The blade lord is proficient with one type of two-handed weapon that is at least as tall as the average human. This weapon does not actually have to have a blade: it can be a polearm, chain, hammer, or any other weapon that can or must be used two-handed. This weapon is almost always named and is usually passed down the family line, but its origins are changeable to suit the setting or character. The ancestral weapon has certain magical abilities (see below). It is up to the DM to decide if the blade lord’s weapon is subject to additional (magical or otherwise) enhancements. The ancestral weapon’s critical range is the same as the base weapon. The ancestral weapon’s size and magical ability prevents the blade lord from dealing nonlethal damage with it, but not with other weapons. Non-relatives of the blade lord are not proficient with the ancestral weapon.

Ancestral Advancement:
The blade lord's weapon is connected to them on a deep, magical level. The ancestral weapon levels up with the blade lord at a 3/4 scale, and every time it levels, the blade lord may select a new magical ability for their weapon. Its size category (and appropriate damage) scales with the weapon's level (starting with the blade lord's normal weapon size - e.g. Small for a halfling blade lord), as does its attack bonus (see Enhanced Ancestral Weapon, below). Its advancement stops at 15th weapon level, although the blade lord may continue leveling.

Ancestral Link:
If the ancestral weapon is lost or destroyed, the blade lord loses all class abilities (including bonus feats) and can no longer advance in the class. Additionally, the blade lord must attempt a DC 10 + weapon level Fortitude saving throw. Failure means they loses 200 experience points per weapon level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. A blade lord’s experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of their weapon's loss or destruction. If the blade lord reclaims a lost weapon or repairs a salvageable weapon, the blade lord regains all class abilities after a week of reattunement, but not their lost experience. If their weapon cannot be recovered, it is up to the DM whether they can forge or have forged a replacement or if they simply can no longer continue in the class.

Focused Fighter:
A blade lord's weapon level counts as +4 higher than it actually is (for weapon size/damage and weapon abilities, but not maximum enhancement bonus), but cannot be higher than the blade lord's total character levels. For example, a gnoll Blade Lord 2/Cleric 2 would have an effective weapon level of 4.

Ancestral Ally:
A blade lord's weapon has the AC of the blade lord. A blade lord's weapon also gains any damage-resisting abilities the blade lord has (such as energy resistance, damage reduction, et cetera). Whenever the blade lord's weapon takes damage, the blade lord may opt to receive some or all of the damage in their weapon's place.

Enhanced Ancestral Weapon:
A blade lord's weapon improves as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the ancestral weapon gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that the blade lord may spend on an actual enhancement bonus or on weapon special abilities. A blade lord's level determines their maximum actual enhancement bonus. The blade lord may (and must, when their total actual enhancement is higher than their maximum bonus) apply any special ability from Table: Weapon Special Abilities instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as they meets the level requirement. A blade lord can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities.




Weapon Ability
Enhancement Bonus
Required Class Level


Bane
+1
5


Defending
+1
5


Flaming
+1
5


Frost
+1
5


Shock
+1
5


Ghost Touch
+1
5


Keen
+1
5


Merciful
+1
5


Mighty Cleaving
+1
5


Returning
+1
5


Thundering
+1
5


Vicious
+1
5


Anarchic
+2
7


Axiomatic
+2
7


Disruption
+2
7


Flaming Burst
+2
7


Icy Burst
+2
7


Shocking Burst
+2
7


Holy
+2
7


Unholy
+2
7


Wounding
+2
7


Speed
+3
9


Brilliant Energy
+4
12


Dancing
+4
12


Vorpal
+5
15


Ability choices by level (unless otherwise stated, activated abilities are immediate and mental):

2) Glowing Blade or Feather Blade: The blade lord may use their weapon as a torch at will. During combat, a DC 10 Concentration check must be made every round in which the blade lord attacks to continue doing so, or the ancestral weapon can be thrown up to 30 ft with none of the penalties normally incurred by an improvised thrown weapon.

3) Scanning Blade or Enchanted Grip: The ancestral weapon can be used to cast detect law/chaos (the opposite of the blade lord’s alignment; choose one if neutral), detect good/evil (the opposite of the blade lord’s alignment; choose one if neutral), or detect magic (these abilities are not mutually exclusive, but only one can be used per day), or the ancestral weapon cannot be dropped, removed, or taken from the blade lord’s grasp unwillingly.

4) Will of the Master or Finesse Blade: If any non-relative of the blade lord attempts to use their weapon, they must make a DC 15 + 1/weapon level Reflex save or strike themselves, or the ancestral weapon can be used with the Weapon Finesse feat.

5) Silver-Edged or Unlosable: The ancestral weapon gains a silver lining or the ancestral weapon cannot be misplaced, lost, stolen, or otherwise removed from the blade lord’s possession unwillingly.

6) Razor Blade or Guided Blade: The ancestral weapon gains +2 to damage rolls per three weapon levels, or +1 to attack rolls per three weapon levels.

7) Unbreakable or Deadly Blade: The ancestral weapon cannot be broken or damaged through mortal means (including rust and rust monsters), or the ancestral weapon's critical multiplier increases by 1.

8) Cleansing Blade or Corrupting Blade: The ancestral weapon deals an additional +2d6 damage per five weapon levels against undead, aberrations, constructs, and evil outsiders, or an additional +2d6 per five weapon levels damage against living creatures and good outsiders.

9) Guardian Blade or Quick Blade: The ancestral weapon adds +2 to AC per three weapon levels, or +2 to initiative per three weapon levels.

10) Stun Blade or Paralysis: If the blade lord's attack beats the target's AC by 5 or more, foes struck with the ancestral weapon must make a DC 10 + weapon level Fortitude save or lose be unable to move (they can still take an action but may not take so much as a five-foot step) on their next turn, or a DC 10 + weapon level Fortitude save or lose the ability to use that part of their body for 1d4 hours.

11) Mindbreak or Piercing Blade: If the blade lord's attack beats the target's AC by 5 or more, the ancestral weapon deals 1 point of Intelligence damage per weapon level, or removes 1 AC per three weapon levels.

12) Strong Blade or Agile Blade or Wise Blade: The ancestral weapon adds ½ its level (rounded down) to the blade lord’s Fortitude or Reflex or Will save.

13) Vorpal Blade or Silent Blade: Successful criticals behead opponents (usually fatal, if they have a head within reach), or a number of times per day equal to 1/3 the ancestral weapon's level, the ancestral weapon can be used to deflect an incoming spell targeted at the blade lord (an attack roll versus the spell’s DC).

14) Whispering Blade: Once per day, the blade lord can consult their weapon for advice or gain +10 to a knowledge check. (These two abilities are not mutually exclusive, but only one can be used per day.)

15) Speaking Blade: The weapon’s dormant magical ability develops a personality and voice based on the blade lord’s alignment and use of their weapon. If the blade lord wishes, they may make a DC 15 Concentration check to silence their weapon’s voice for the day. Doing so prohibits the blade lord from consulting their weapon for advice, but not from gaining the daily +10 to knowledge.

Tintenseher's Comments:
I'm absolutely aware this class needs work. The main thing is the weapon abilities, of course, but I don't know how balanced this is compared to any other class, including the T5 fighter. At best, I think this class probably makes it to T4, and that's fine with me, as long as it belongs there.

[Extra Anchovies]

Why not just directly tie the available weapon abilities to class level? Advance weapon level at 3/4 class level (average BAB follows the same progression), to prevent abuse via slaughtering small animals/fighting things your caster buddies summon during downtime/otherwise getting lots of easy kills.

Also that way there's a reason to stay in the class past first level. A capstone of some sort would also be useful, as would a way for these guys to multiclass. Maybe a feat that functions like Practiced Spellcaster, except for blade abilities and blade level?

[Roadie]

Yeah, the 'advance by kills' thing is a bad idea. All that stuff should just be part of the class progression.

I would recommend borrowing ideas from the Pathfinder version of the soulknife (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife), in particular the structure of blade skills and the way enhanced mind blade works, and making as much as possible just plain at will abilities (possibly with triggers or charge-up needed) instead of using a "once per encounter" structure that just makes the class unnecessarily weaker.

I'd personally say to avoid replacing base weapon damage while allowing any choice of weapon, since that encourages taking some low-damage exotic weapon (like the spiked chain, for instance), plus it has weird effects with size (what if you have a Gargantuan Blade Lord?). Instead, you could make it so that the character can use weapons of a size larger and have the blade become a size larger (with appropriately increased damage), then two sizes larger, and so on, which also means not needing to have that nonproficiency clause for other characters.

"It is up to the DM to decide if the blade lord’s weapon is subject to additional (magical or otherwise) enhancements" ... this seems bad to me, because if a DM needs to use it, the class is too weak in the first place. Instead I'd say to give it some base enhancement, like the soulknife's mind blade, that increases by level.

"(For other purposes, the weapon is 3/2 of its normal weight.)" ... this is unneeded, especially if you go with the size increase thing from above.

But here's the biggest question:

What happens if the weapon is lost or destroyed?

[Tintenseher]

...abuse via slaughtering small animals/fighting things your caster buddies summon during downtime/otherwise getting lots of easy kills.

Hm, I meant to include a note that kills only count if they are of a certain CR relative to your ECL (so you can't just kill five hundred squirrels) or if they are an enemy (so your wizard's summons don't count). Oops.


Also that way there's a reason to stay in the class past first level.

Good point. I didn't realize you could just take one level and then do anything else as long as you kept killing things with the ancestral weapon. Still, the level-by-kills thing is sort of integral to the flavor; maybe instead of tying it directly, your weapon level caps at 3/4 your class level?

I see why basing the weapon level off of kills is detrimental, though. I guess that's just a holdover from the original. I'll probably end up tweaking it thusly.


A capstone of some sort would also be useful, as would a way for these guys to multiclass. Maybe a feat that functions like Practiced Spellcaster, except for blade abilities and blade level?

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean here. (Apart from the capstone thing. Capstones are good.) My understanding of Practiced Spellcaster is that you select it for a casting class, and your caster level for that class counts as +4 higher than it really is, but not greater than your total HD. Do you just mean a feat or ability that does this to weapon level (including selecting new weapon abilities) instead of caster level? I assume that's what you're saying, but my brain is a little fuzzy right now (pain meds, yay).

And should this just be added as, say, a 5th- or 10th-level class feature, or maybe a bonus feat meant to be taken with the class? Should it just be said that a blade lord's weapon level counts as +4 more than it is, but no higher than total HD? That way single-class blade lords scale normally but multiclass don't lose out completely.

And if I do tie weapon level to 3/4 class level, well, I'm struggling to think of any good capstones for the poor guy, hehe.


I would recommend borrowing ideas from the Pathfinder version of the soulknife...

I like the idea of converting the Enhanced Mind Blade progression. It seems like it'd fit perfectly. I'll just have to come up with a few different weapon abilities, then, but this seems brilliant.


I'd personally say to avoid replacing base weapon damage while allowing any choice of weapon...

Makes sense. The scaling damage was basically based off the monk, but you're right that you can get some iffy numbers and abilities with certain weapons and size.


Instead, you could make it so that the character can use weapons of a size larger and have the blade become a size larger (with appropriately increased damage), then two sizes larger, and so on...

Again, sorry - I'm a bit groggy at the moment. Do you mean that instead of scaling damage, a blade lord's weapon simply increases in size - for example, a Medium greatsword (2d6) increases to a Large greatswords (3d6) at level 4, then Huge (4d6) at level 7, and so on? (Maybe with the progression spread out - increases at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th, maybe? That way you end up with 8d6 at 20th level. Comparing to a monk, that's...still a lot. Oops. 6th, 12th, and 18th leaves you at 6d6. Just 10th and 20th gives you 4d6, though, which is comparable to my original scale and the monk.


...which also means not needing to have that nonproficiency clause for other characters.

Eh, that's because the weapon is too big, so other characters just take the cumulative -2 penalties for size categories, right? This works, although I'd also rule that any non-relatives are also non-proficient (another -4).


"(For other purposes, the weapon is 3/2 of its normal weight.)" ... this is unneeded, especially if you go with the size increase thing from above.

As far as being unneeded goes, I mostly included it just because I was trying to think of another occasion where weight matters - if something else is based off of the blade lord's carry weight, the weapon clearly can't count as weightless. The only one that came to me was Feather Fall, though, so, yeah, I'll scrap it.


What happens if the weapon is lost or destroyed?

Solid question. A penalty along the lines of losing your familiar would provide a much bigger incentive to take Unbreakable/Unlosable/Enchanted Grip. I'll cook something up.

Edit: Just to say that I'll make these changes in the morning, when I recover. :)

[Extra Anchovies]

Hm, I meant to include a note that kills only count if they are of a certain CR relative to your ECL (so you can't just kill five hundred squirrels) or if they are an enemy (so your wizard's summons don't count). Oops.

The issue is, that's not the RAW (IIRC). If something's fighting you, it's an enemy. Wizard summons a creature, commands it to attack you, it's an enemy. I'd just tie it to level, because that is tied to kills. Kills = XP = levels.

[Tintenseher]

I've edited the class to most of the suggestions given, and I personally think it looks a lot better now. Other thoughts? Balance? Tweaks?

[Extra Anchovies]

I've edited the class to most of the suggestions given, and I personally think it looks a lot better now. Other thoughts? Balance? Tweaks?

Give them a method on enchanting their blade via pure wealth sacrifice, a la the Ancestral Relic feat or the Oriental Adventures Samurai's Ancestral Daisho ability.

[Tintenseher]

Give them a method on enchanting their blade via pure wealth sacrifice, a la the Ancestral Relic feat or the Oriental Adventures Samurai's Ancestral Daisho ability.

While both of those would also make for a good method of powering up the weapon, it doesn't fit the flavor as nicely (increasing power through battle and experience), and it doesn't exactly pair with the existing adaptation of the soulknife's scaling mind blade.

Since the weapon already scales with class level, is it really necessary to allow/force wealth sacrifice? Especially considering that the blade lord isn't getting all the other benefits of a soulknife or samurai. Allowing the wealth power-up seems like an unnecessary addition when they'll get those abilities anyway, and forcing it seems like it punishes the class too much, since the blade lord doesn't have the soulknife's other abilities or the samurai's bonus feats.

[Extra Anchovies]

While both of those would also make for a good method of powering up the weapon, it doesn't fit the flavor as nicely (increasing power through battle and experience), and it doesn't exactly pair with the existing adaptation of the soulknife's scaling mind blade.

Since the weapon already scales with class level, is it really necessary to allow/force wealth sacrifice? Especially considering that the blade lord isn't getting all the other benefits of a soulknife or samurai. Allowing the wealth power-up seems like an unnecessary addition when they'll get those abilities anyway, and forcing it seems like it punishes the class too much, since the blade lord doesn't have the soulknife's other abilities or the samurai's bonus feats.

Hm, that's a good point. Forgot about the soulknife stuff. Is there some way for a Blade Lord to get enchantments on their sword other than through class features?

[Tintenseher]

Hm, that's a good point. Forgot about the soulknife stuff. Is there some way for a Blade Lord to get enchantments on their sword other than through class features?

That's what this was originally for:


It is up to the DM to decide if the blade lord’s weapon is subject to additional (magical or otherwise) enhancements...

If the player wasn't feeling effective, I meant to leave it up to the DM if they could just pay to have their weapon enchanted like anyone else. I removed that line with the addition of the soulknife stuff. The Maximum Enhancement Bonus and Weapon Special Abilities (enhancement bonus) give free magic weapon abilities every few levels (or the standard magical +1 enhancement), and Weapon Ability Choices (weapon level) is giving the weapon extra stuff whenever it levels up.

Basically, their weapon magically upgrades for free, two different ways, throughout levels. Then they spend their cash on other magic items. Adding more on top of that has to be on a case-by-case basis, since the desire to do so will vary based on how optimized/powerful the rest of the party is (and other group-dependent things).

At least, that's how I'm seeing it.

[Magikeeper]

Some comments:

> Some of the special abilities don't seem to be in the table?

> Calling the weapon abilities that are unique to this class something besides "weapon ability choices" [which sounds a lot like "weapon special abilities"] might be a good idea. I think it is kinda confusing?

> The bit where you can swap out weapon special abilities whenever your weapon gains a new ability could be more explicit, I think. That could just be me though.

> Why do you restrict the class to those specific weapon special abilities? If a group plays with more obscure stuff I don't see a reason to deny the blade master the ability to have the same weapon options everyone else does? You could have the same chart you have now, only much smaller and cutting out the name section. So, +4s at level 12, +5s at level 15, etc. I'm not really sure that restriction is needed at all though.

> What is the weapon made out of?

----
The entire class is based off of some weapon that has no abilities that make itself harder to destroy (well, the size increases do increase HP). You might not even be able to enchant it separately! Granted, wizards have a similar issue.. except they can at least recover from a destroyed spellbook and such an item doesn't need to be out and vulnerable during combat. There are options for defending spellbooks as well. Also, we're talking about wizards.

Actually, a better comparison would be familiars. But familiars are a minor class feature, not the primary one. And reviving dead animals is usually far easier then repairing a destroyed magical items! Outside of that one truenamer ability and being made of aurorum(arguable) I don't recall any other general magic item repairing in D&D 3.5.

If you want to keep the "Oh no, not my weapooooon!" aspect of it, how about something like the following:

> The Blade Lord can always feel the direction and distance to their weapon, and is wracked with pain (-4 to all attacks, saves, and checks) whenever they go more than a day without being within 30' of it.
> If the weapon is destroyed, the Blade Lord dies. The broken weapon counts as a part of the Blade Lord's corpse for the purposes of benefiting from spells that restore life. This means it must be present for raise dead, resurrection can revive/reforge both with a piece of either one, etc.

Also, an ability that makes the weapon much harder to destroy would be great. Like, maybe the ability to sacrifice your own HP in place of the weapon's?

------

The ability that gives +1 to AC per 3 weapon levels at PC level 12 is very meh. Certainly doesn't compare to the +Initiative ability*. I would suggest having this be +2 AC per 3 weapon levels. That would still only be +6 at PC level 12.
*Granted, at high enough optimization levels this would be true even at silly levels of +AC, IMO, but that's not really a concern here or there.

------

Why so many (Max +blah)?? All of those are at weapon level 15, right? Is there a reason why this class is determined to give no benefit for taking epic levels in it? I realize WoTC does stuff like that all the time, but I've never seen the point in them doing it either.

[Tintenseher]

> Some of the special abilities don't seem to be in the table?

I'm not sure what you mean. The Weapon Special Abilities (enhancement bonus) table includes most of the SRD magic weapon qualities (but not all), and the now-renamed Ancestral Advancement abilities contains a completely different set. They are not connected to each other.


>The bit where you can swap out weapon special abilities whenever your weapon gains a new ability could be more explicit, I think.

I don't believe this is actually the case. The Enhanced Ancestral Weapon was pretty much copied exactly from the PF soulknife's (linked above) Enhanced Mind Blade. If the soulknife can't change around their enhancement/abilities every time your maximum enhancement bonus increases, the blade lord cannot either. (But please tell me if I'm reading that wrong.)


> Why do you restrict the class to those specific weapon special abilities? If a group plays with more obscure stuff I don't see a reason to deny the blade master the ability to have the same weapon options everyone else does? You could have the same chart you have now, only much smaller and cutting out the name section. So, +4s at level 12, +5s at level 15, etc. I'm not really sure that restriction is needed at all though.

I think this is a problem of me not naming the two tracks differently enough. Again, the abilities gained from the 3rd-level-and-every-odd-level-afterwards (Enhanced Ancestral Weapon) are separate from the abilities gained from the weapon level itself (Ancestral Advancement abilities). Is that cleared up?


> What is the weapon made out of?

Eh...presumably whatever the base weapon is made out of? I guess that's really up to the DM and the player to work together to decide. After all, it wouldn't make sense to declare that every weapon that gets passed down in this manner just happens to be made out of adamantine.


The entire class is based off of some weapon that has no abilities that make itself harder to destroy (well, the size increases do increase HP).

Not quite. If the blade lord wishes, they can take the Unbreakable quality at weapon level 7 (character level 10). If the player is in a campaign where weapons being damaged or destroyed doesn't come up often (such as mine), they'd feel safe taking the Deadly Blade instead. If sundering or rust monsters or disintegration was a common issue, they would (eventually) be safe (granted, rust monsters are only CR 3, so they'd need to be careful; still, disintegrate comes online at around character level 10, and a damaged but not broken weapon can be repaired.)


The ability that gives +1 to AC per 3 weapon levels at PC level 12 is very meh. Certainly doesn't compare to the +Initiative ability*. I would suggest having this be +2 AC per 3 weapon levels. That would still only be +6 at PC level 12.

Adjusted. Thank you.


Why so many (Max +blah)?? All of those are at weapon level 15, right? Is there a reason why this class is determined to give no benefit for taking epic levels in it? I realize WoTC does stuff like that all the time, but I've never seen the point in them doing it either.

Three (well, two and a half) reasons: one, yes, to follow the format of other similar classes; two, because some of the scores don't divide evenly into 15. The third reason/half a reason is that I figured it meant I didn't have to come up with new abilities for the weapon, but that would be up to the DM anyway. I've removed these mentions.


> The Blade Lord can always feel the direction and distance to their weapon, and is wracked with pain (-4 to all attacks, saves, and checks) whenever they go more than a day without being within 30' of it.
> If the weapon is destroyed, the Blade Lord dies. The broken weapon counts as a part of the Blade Lord's corpse for the purposes of benefiting from spells that restore life. This means it must be present for raise dead, resurrection can revive/reforge both with a piece of either one, etc.

Also, an ability that makes the weapon much harder to destroy would be great. Like, maybe the ability to sacrifice your own HP in place of the weapon's?

While I do actually really like the idea of a weapon being so closely linked to a character that it must be present for them to be raised, this doesn't really fit the flavor of the class. The blade lord's lifeforce isn't really connected to their weapon; it's more of...I'm not sure. Sticking them together like that would make it a lot easier to kill the blade lord, especially at higher levels. But, the point stands, so I added this:

Ancestral Ally:
A blade lord's weapon has the AC of the blade lord. A blade lord's weapon also gains any damage-resisting abilities the blade lord has (such as energy resistance, damage reduction, et cetera). Whenever the blade lord's weapon takes damage, the blade lord may opt to receive some or all of the damage in their weapon's place.

[Magikeeper]

On the first table thing I meant the class level table itself doesn't seem to have been updated in awhile. Not the other tables.

As for the "Why do you restrict the class to those specific weapon special abilities?" question:


table includes most of the SRD magic weapon qualities (but not all)

This is what I was referring too. If the player is in a group that is allowing all the books why can't the blade lord pick from the same enchantment options everyone else can? Yeah, 3.5 soulknife and maybe the PF one (not familiar) use a set list but I've never seen issues with letting them just pick whatever. I don't see the need to limit their options - if their game is SRD only they'll only have SRD options anyway.

----

Ancestral Ally helps a lot, and I had missed the unbreakable blade ability. That just leaves disjunction.

[Tintenseher]

On the first table thing I meant the class level table itself doesn't seem to have been updated in awhile. Not the other tables.

Ah. Yeah, it doesn't have everything, mostly just to save space. I think it has everything that changes with level, though.


This is what I was referring too. If the player is in a group that is allowing all the books why can't the blade lord pick from the same enchantment options everyone else can? Yeah, 3.5 soulknife and maybe the PF one (not familiar) use a set list but I've never seen issues with letting them just pick whatever. I don't see the need to limit their options - if their game is SRD only they'll only have SRD options anyway.

I see. I didn't mean it as a definite restriction; I was just altering the soulknife to use the 3.5 SRD abilities instead of all the soulknife's...things. The DM is free to do whatever they like (including grant extra abilities), but the ones given in the table set the precedent for scaling and level requirement.


That just leaves disjunction.

Hm. Maybe the capstone should be that their weapon's magic cannot be removed as long as the blade lord lives?