Tall Tale (3.5 Base Class Contest Winner, PEACH)

[Zaydos]

JACK OF BLADES

A Jack of Blades is to the Sublime Way what a Tall Tale is to a normal athlete. They approach the Sublime Way in a manner which is larger than life, using their adaptability, flexibility, and knack for taking things to extents that even fellow practitioners find surprising. A Jack of Blades practicing the Desert Wind, burns their blade with every strike, releasing a flurry of blows as quick as the eye can see, burning the red dragon and causing the surging flames to strike and sear its servants who rally around it. A master of Setting Sun throws a titan hundreds of feet with a single toss. A master of Iron Heart becomes an unstoppable juggernaut on the field, pressing past magic to hold their motions or control their will.

BECOMING A JACK OF BLADES
Tall Tales exaggerate skills, showcasing wild feats and talents beyond normal men. Those who exaggerate skill of arms, and the techniques of the sublime way, become something of natural initiators. These are the Jacks of Blades, who show exaggerated skills in a single discipline of the Sublime Way and who dabble in others.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Feats: At least 2 Fighter feats.
Exaggerated Skills: Greater Exaggerated Skill Martial Lore, Lesser Exaggerated Skill in the skill associated with your chosen martial discipline.

Class Skills
The Jack of Blades' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), any Exaggerated Skill you possess, and the Associated Skill for any martial discipline you have a maneuver from.
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + int

Hit Dice: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Chosen Discipline, Second Discipline	1	1	0
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Discipline Exaggeration	1	0	1
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Exaggerated Skill, Third Discipline	1	1	0
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Flexible Maneuver, Methods of Renewal	1	0	1
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Sublime Exaggeration	1	1	0

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Jack of Blades gains no armor proficiency, and proficiency in all weapons (including exotic weapons).

Jack of Blades and Exaggerated Skills: A Jack of Blades gains additional skill points each level in Martial Lore and the skill associated with their Chosen Discipline (see below) as if still gaining levels in Tall Tale, as well as the skill associated with their 2nd Discipline, and, once they gain a 3rd Discipline at 3rd level the skill associated with it. Although levels in Jack of Blades do not grant Exaggerated Skills (except 3rd), they stack with Tall Tale levels for determining whether a character has access to Storied Skills (though you must have a Greater Exaggerated Skill in a Skill to select it’s Storied Skill), and for your effective Tall Tale level for Exaggerated Skills with effects based off of your class level.

At 3rd level a Jack of Blades gains the next tier of Exaggerated Skill in their Chosen Disciplines associated skill even if they do not have the level requirement for that tier of Exaggerated Skill (which is barely possible through Tall Tale 12/Jack of Blades 3).

Chosen Discipline: A Jack of Blades’ Chosen Discipline is that Discipline selected for their Exaggerated Martial Lore skill.

Second Discipline: At 1st level a Jack of Blades chooses a martial discipline with an associated skill for which they have the Least (or better) Exaggerated Skill. They immediately learn 2 2nd level or lower maneuvers from that discipline, 2 4th level or lower maneuvers from that discipline, and 2 6th level or lower maneuvers from that discipline, and 1 Stance from it.

Maneuvers: A Jack of Blades learns maneuvers as any other sublime PrC, they may select their new maneuvers from their Chosen Discipline, their Second Discipline, or beginning at 3rd level in this class their 3rd Discipline.

Discipline Exaggeration: At 2nd level a Jack of Blades learns an exaggerated ability based upon their Chosen Discipline.

Spoiler

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Desert Wind (Ex): Whenever you make an attack or full attack action you may make an additional attack as part of it by taking a -2 penalty to all attacks for a round. You may not do this with a maneuver that grants a single attack, but may apply it to a maneuver that allows for a full attack.
Devoted Spirit (Su): Any weapon you wield is considered to be your alignment for the purpose of overcoming DR, and deals +1d6 damage to a creature for each axis in which its alignment opposes yours.
Diamond Mind (Ex): Whenever you use a counter you gain a +2 insight bonus to attack, AC, saves, and Concentration checks for 1 round (this is applied to any roll made as part of the counter as well).
Iron Heart (Ex): You do not provoke attacks of opportunity for making Trip attempts, Bull Rush attempts, Sunder attempts, Grapple attempts, or Disarm attempts and may attempt to trip with any weapon (on a failure you may drop the weapon instead of allowing the enemy a chance to trip you back). In addition you may add your Charisma bonus (if positive) to any roll made as part of any of the above.
Setting Sun (Ex): When in Light or No Armor you gain a bonus to your armor class equal to your Wisdom modifier and as long as you are not flat-footed against an attack negate all bonus damage from Power Attack that attack would receive.
Shadow Hand (Su): You may hide without cover or concealment as long as you are out of true sunlight (a daylight spell doesn’t count) and there are shadows other than your own within 10-ft of you.
Stone Dragon (Ex): You gain DR X/- where X is your Jack of Blades level and you ignore 5 points of DR and hardness with your attacks (DR 15/- would stop 10 of your damage not 15).
Tiger Claw (Ex): The penalties you suffer for wielding two weapons are reduced by 2.
White Raven (Ex): Allies deal +1d8 damage to creatures you threaten in melee.
Adamant Eagle (Ex): You gain a +5-ft increase to your melee reach; this bonus is not multiplied when wielding a reach weapon.
Crone's Hex (Sp): You gain Alter Self (female forms only), Bestow Curse, Divination, Fear, Nightmare, and Solid Fog as spell-like abilities (CL = character level) each usable 1/day.
Crushing Avalanche (Ex): Whenever you hit a creature with a martial strike they are unable to take 5-ft steps for 1 round.
Darting Viper (Ex): Whenever you use a strike you inflict terrible bleeding on your target. They receive damage equal to the strike’s level each round at the beginning of their turn which lasts for Cha mod rounds (minimum 1). This has no effect on unloving creatures, elementals, or oozes.
Edge of the Apocalypse (Su): You gain +5-ft reach with slashing and piercing weapns, this is not doubled with a reach weapon, as your weapon strikes beyond its physical reach and +5-ft to the range of Black Breeze, Black Wind's Cry, Black Wind's Wail, Black Wind's Rebuke, Black Wind's Howl, and Black Wind's Reign.
Eldritch Rain (Su): You gain the ability to make a ranged touch attack dealing 1d6 damage per 2 initiator levels with a range of 60-ft as a standard action. This counts as a [Blast] maneuver for the purposes of interaction with Eldritch Blast.
Feral Hunger (Ex): Your natural weapons deal damage as if you were 1 size category larger.
Flashing Lightning (Ex): Whenever you get a critical hit (even if the creature would be immune) you may immediately make another attack at the same bonus.
Hewn Tree (Ex): Your favored enemy bonus against Plant creatures improves by +2 and whenever you trip a creature or otherwise knock them prone they take damage equal to your Strength modifier.
Jeering Monkey (Ex): You land speed increases by 20-ft.
Lunar Spirit (Su): Whenever you strike a target it loses 1 spell slot or one use of a daily spell like ability of its highest level (if they have both, they lose from whichever has higher level slots, if both are equal random).
Protean Hunter (Ex): You gain a bonus to natural armor equal to your Jack of Blades’ class level.
Star Dream (Sp): You gain Charm Monster, Dimension Door, Dominate Person, Greater Invisibility, and Major Image as spell-like abilities (CL = character level) each usable 1/day.

Flexible Maneuver (Ex): At 4th level a Jack of Blades gains a sublime understanding of the art of battle, able to flexibly adapt their combat talents. You gain a special maneuver which may be any maneuver which you have the Initiator Level to use, regardless of its discipline and ignoring its prerequisites, this maneuver is automatically readied, does not count against your maneuvers readied, and may be identical to another maneuver you have readied normally. You may change this maneuver to any other with 10 minutes of practice after 8 hours of rest.

Methods of Renewal: At 4th level a Jack of Blades gains versatility in how they renew maneuvers. They may select 2 methods from this list gaining these in addition to their normal maneuver renewal method(s) for all maneuvers they possess.

• Pay 8 hit points/maneuver level (free action)
• As warblade.
• As morphic claw.
• As Wildwood Knight
• As Argent Blade.
• As Exaggerated Martial Lore using your Chosen Discipline’s Associated Skill.
• Standard action, regain all maneuvers and may select one maneuver to have no longer be readied and ready a different maneuver in its place.
• At the beginning of your turn, if you are at less than 1/3rd your maximum health, you regain 1 maneuver; you may not have used this maneuver since the beginning of your previous turn.
• Regain 1 expended maneuver, you have not used within the last round, as a swift action.
• Become fatigued as a free action to recover a maneuver (if already fatigued become exhausted instead)
• At the beginning of your turn roll 1d6, on a 6 regain 1 maneuver as a free action.

By spending 10 minutes practicing following an 8 hour rest you may reselect what 2 methods this ability grants you.

Sublime Exaggeration: A Jack of Blades learns to exaggerate their chosen discipline. Already they have used it to take themselves a step further than is the norm, but a master they take next step forward with themselves and the discipline.

Spoiler

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Desert Wind (Su): Every attack you make deals an additional 2d6 fire damage. Fire damage you deal as part of weapon attacks ignore energy resistance and deals half damage to creatures immune to fire unless they are elementals with the fire subtype. Finally whenever you attack an enemy you may have any fire damage they receive be dealt to each creature adjacent to them other than yourself.
Devoted Spirit (Su): You add your Charisma as a bonus to AC against attacks from creatures whose alignment opposes yours in one or more axes (this is sacred if you’re good or neutral and profane if evil), and whenever a stance or strike you use heals a creature you may heal a 2nd creature that would be a legitimate target half as much. If the stance or maneuver heals effects other than hit point damage that is healed in full for both targets.
Diamond Mind(Ex): You gain a pool of bonus dice equal to your rank in Concentration each day. You may use these bonus dice to add 1d6 to any d20 roll or 1d10 to damage rolls and may spend up to 2 bonus dice on a single roll. Spending bonus dice in this way is a free action and you may see the roll before spending bonus dice.
Iron Heart (Ex): You gain immunity to daze, stun, paralysis, hold effects, sleep effects and effects which would render you unconscious without dealing damage to you (if drowning you are not rendered unconscious on the first round, but are still reduced to -1 hit point on the second). If you are engaged in combat with a creature you may ignore domination or charm effects from that creature until you spend at least 3 rounds without engaging in directly hostile actions towards it.
Setting Sun (Ex): You gain a +2 bonus on Trip attempts for each size category larger than you a creature is. In addition whenever you trip a creature you may throw it 10-ft. If you are using a maneuver that would normally allow you to throw your target you may instead throw them 10-ft or up to twice the usual distance whichever is larger. In addition your throws which deal damage deal +4d6 damage.
Shadow Hand (Su): Whenever you use a Shadow Hand strike on a living creature which is unaware of your presence it must make a Fort save (DC 20 + your Charisma modifier) or die instantly; this is a Death effect. Merely being flat-footed is not enough to gain this benefit, they must be unaware as of yet that you are there.
Stone Dragon (Ex): Your melee attacks ignore damage reduction entirely, and your use of the Power Attack and/or Stone Power feats improve. First when you use one you gain the benefit of the other even if you do not have it. Second when you use Stone Power the only cap to how much temp hp you can gain is your BAB. Finally when you use Power Attack you deal an additional point of damage per point of attack sacrificed (this effect is not multiplied by things that multiple PA benefit).
Tiger Claw (Ex): Your off-hand weapon gains full strength bonus to damage (instead of ½). Whenever you use a maneuver that allows you to make a single attack, or perform a standard attack action, you may make an attack with your off-hand weapon (it does not benefit from the maneuver). Finally you gain Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting and may make an additional off-hand attack as part of a full attack at an additional -5 over what your two-weapon fighting feats would normally allow.
White Raven (Ex): Once during your turn you may have a willing ally within 30-ft who can see and hear you make an attack at their highest attack bonus as a free action.
Adamantine Eagle (Su): You cut magic itself with the warding aegis of your blade. Allies within your melee reach, including yourself, gain spell resistance 12 + your Initiator Level. In addition you gain +5 damage against creatures which have damaged your allies within the last minute.
Crone's Hex: Your body changes to become more like a hag's. You grow claws (each dealing 1d6 damage) and if you are in the Crone's Talons stance gain an additional +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage, and your appearance becomes twisted and horrifying to look upon giving you a -4 penalty to Charisma based checks to interact with other creatures except for Intimidate, a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks, and, as a supernatural ability, any creature which looks upon you must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + Charisma modifier) or be stricken weak by it taking 2d6 Strength damage; a creature which has been affected by this ability or which succeeds their save is immune to that Tall Tale's appearance for 24 hours. You may, as a supernatural ability, suppress this change to your body, reverting to your old form; when you do so you take on your appearance in full bloom of youth and ignore any aging penalties you may have suffered. It requires a standard action to revert to your youthful form, but is a free action to return to your new, horrific appearance.
Crushing Avalanche (Su): Every attack you make deals an additional 2d6 cold damage. Cold damage you deal as part of weapon attacks ignore energy resistance and deals half damage to creatures immune to cold unless they are elementals with the cold subtype. Finally whenever you attack an enemy their speed is reduced by 5-ft per 5 points of cold damage the attack dealt for 1 round; this effect does not stack with itself, only the largest speed reduction applies.
Darting Viper (Su): Whenever you make an attack of opportunity the target suffers 1 negative level on a hit. This effect is a direct assailment of their animating essence and is not negative energy based and may affect undead, constructs, and creatures with Death Ward.
Edge of Apocalypse (Su): 1/week you may call the black winds of destruction howling into the multiverse, dealing 1d6 damage/rank in Knowledge (Arcana) you possess in a 1 mile radius (Ref halves). In addition you gain Cleave as a bonus feat (or Great Cleave if you already have it) and whenever that feat triggers you may teleport up to 100-ft but must make your bonus attack from Cleave or Great Cleave at the end of it.
Eldritch Rain (Su): You deal +4d6 damage with [Blast] maneuvers, as well as your ray granted by this class.
Feral Hunger (Ex): If you deal a creature with at least 1 whole hit die enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it) all enemies within 30-ft must make a Will save (DC 20 + Charisma modifier) or be shaken for 1 minute and you gain a +4 bonus to Strength for 1 round. If you down another creature before you lose this bonus its duration is reset and your bonus to Strength is increased by +2.
Flashing Lightning (Su): Every attack you make deals an additional 2d6 electricity damage. Electricity damage you deal as part of weapon attacks ignore energy resistance and deals half damage to creatures immune to electricity unless they are elementals with the air subtype. Finally whenever you attack an enemy you may have any electricity damage they receive be dealt to one (other) creature within 30-ft of them, this requires a ranged touch attack on your part to hit this second creature.
Hewn Tree (Ex): Once per round you may make a trip attempt as a free action.
Jeering Monkey (Su): Whenever a creature attack you in melee you may make a Sleight of Hand check opposed by their AC. If you succeed you may swap BAB with that creature for 1 round following the resolution of that attack (but before others in the sequence if it is making more than one).
Lunar Spirit (Su): Your spell resistance increases by 2 regardless of the source. Whenever a spell fails to overcome your spell resistance by 5 or more it is reflected as if by Spell Turning if it would be a valid target for Spell Turning.
Protean Hunter (Su): You gain Thousand Faces (as the druid ability) and gain the ability to enter an alternate form (as the alternate form ability) for 1 round/character level each day. You may select any form available to the Polymorph spell, and may change form as a free action each round. These rounds need not be continuous, though you must return to your form at the end of your turn to avoid having the next round count (first thing in your turn doesn’t cut it).
Star Dream (Ex): As long as you are in a Star Dream stance you are immune to mind-affecting effects.