Storm Blade[prestige class]

[AjaxTorbin]

She was a small, slight girl, wielding only a par of elvish daggers, but she danced to the center of the horde, slew their chief, and darted right back out, leaving a trail of broken bodies; like they weren’t one of the best trained and equipped mercenary armies ever seen.

The Storm Blade is whirling tempest of steel,blocking, dodging and darting accross the battlefield.
Elven legions often employ fighters trained like these to act as skirmishers, suporting their heaver troops and archers.

Prerequisites:
Feats; Two weapon fighting, Dodge, Mobility.
Skills; Tumble 5 ranks
Base attack bonus; +3

Skills: 4+ Intelligence modifier per level
Balance, bluff, escape artist, hide, jump, move silently perform(dance), sense motive, spot, tumble

Hit die; D6

Storm Blade
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

| Defensive Style, Storm of Steel

2nd|

+2

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Rain of Blades -4, Swift Movement +10


3rd|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Dancing Style, Uncanny Dodge

4th|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Duel Strike, Whirlwind Attack, Swift Movement +20

5th|

+5

|

+2

|

+4

|

+2

|Rain of Blades -2, Deft Style

6th|

+6

|

+3

|

+5

|

+2

|Insightful Style, Evasion

7th|

+7

|

+3

|

+5

|

+3

|Combat Focus

8th|

+8

|

+4

|

+6

|

+4

|Rain of Blades -0, Skirmish Style
[/table]

Storm of Steel: The Storm Blade is the ultimate finesse fighter, totally ignoring strength and focusing on fighting insightfully, landing blows more often, but each blow doing less damage than a traditional fighter. From first level on, the Storm Blade may never add strength to any damage or attack roll.

Defensive Style:
At first level the Storm Blade learns how to defend herself. As long as she is wearing light or no armor, not carrying a shield and armed with a weapon she is proficient with, she gets a +1 shield bonus to AC. At fourth level this improves to +2 and then +3 at eighth level.
Note: the Storm Blade may only have ONE style active at any time. Styles may be changed with a Immediate action

Rain of Blades: at second level the Storm Blade knows how to use her mobility to her advantage. As a full round action, when armed with a light weapon and not wearing armor of any sort, she may make an attack against every opponent that enters her threatened area as she moves a minimum of twenty feet. All attacks are made at her full base attack bonus -4. At fifth level the attacks are made at full base attack -2 and at eighth the Storm Blade takes no negatives when using this attack. These attacks provoke attacks of opportunity as normal as the Storm Blade moves in and out of thretanted areas. If an opponent hits with an attack of opportunity the movement of the Storm Blade is halted, and her actions for the round are halted.

Swift Movement: The base land speed of the Storm Blade increases by ten feet at second level. She only gets this bonus when in no armor and carrying a light or no load. At fourth level speed increases to +20 feet.

Uncanny Dodge: Starting at 3rd level, the Storm Blade gains the extraordinary ability to react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. At 3rd level and above, she retains her Dexterity bonus to AC, regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. She still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized, or otherwise incapacitated.

Dancing Style: At third level the Storm Blade may make feint attempts as a swift action. Also, she receives the feat: Improved Disarm.

Whirlwind Attack: At fourth level the Storm Blade gets the effect of the Whirlwind Attack feat, even if she does not meat the prerequisites.

Duel Strike: As part of a charge attack the Storm blade may attack once with each hand at her full base attack bonus. Both attacks must be on the same target, both attack must me made with light weapons and while the Storm Blade is wearing no armor.

Deft Style: at fifth level the Storm blade can react to opponents on any side as easily as she can to opponents in front of her. The Storm Blade can no longer be flanked. This ability denies rogues the ability to use flanking attacks to sneak attack her. The exception is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the Strom Blade can flank her, and thus sneak attack her.

Evasion: At sixth level the Storm Blade gets Evasion as the rogue. If the Storm Blade already has Evasion, it becomes Improved Evasion.

Insightful Style: At sixth level the Storm Blade knows how to react to her opponents better, she adds her intelligence modifier as an insight bonus to armor class.
Note:This Style may be active in combination with other styles, in other words, it doesnt count twoward the one style limit

Combat Focus: The Storm Blade may have Any TWO styles active at any given time.

Skirmish Style: At eighth level the Storm Blade no longer provokes attacks of opportunity for moving within or out of a creature’s threatened area while wearing no armor and carrying a light or no load.

[Kai-Palin]

Rain of Blades:[/B] at second level the Storm Blade knows how to use her mobility to her advantage. As a full round action, when armed with a light weapon and not wearing armor of any sort, she may make an attack against every opponent that enters her threatened area as she moves. All attacks are made at her full base attack bonus -4. At fifth level the attacks are made at full base attack -2 and at eighth the Storm Blade takes no negatives when using this attack. These attack provoke attack of opportunity as normal. If an opponent hits with an attack of opportunity the movement of the Storm Blade is halted, and her actions for the round are halted.

I don't believe normal melee attacks have ever provoked attacks of opportunity. However, if you meant the movement, then it might be good to change that so as to avoid confusion.

Overall, this is a nice class, but they just seem to be begging for a charm person spell.

[Neftren]

This is a lot like the Dervish Class from one of the Complete books, I think Complete Warrior IIRC.

[DracoDei]

Nice class... I like the flavor...
But you managed to hit two of my buttons here...
I don't like random dead levels...
AND I HATE abilities that stay at one degree of effectiveness for a few levels and then jump but more than one point...
Give them "Rain of Blades -1" at 7th level... please? As a favor to me?
And maybe "Rain of Blades -3" at 4th level...

I find it... 'interesting' that you didn't make Weapon Finesse a pre-requisite... although this way they can use a 2 handed weapon if they want, and someone with a Strength of 10 and a Dexterity of 8 can not have to waste a feat... Not that they would SURVIVE very long in this class... but they could do it...

[AjaxTorbin]

Sorry for the time delay in responding, weekends are hectic for me.

This is a lot like the Dervish Class from one of the Complete books, I think Complete Warrior IIRC.

Yes, it is partialy baised off that class.

Nice class... I like the flavor...
But you managed to hit two of my buttons here...
I don't like random dead levels...
AND I HATE abilities that stay at one degree of effectiveness for a few levels and then jump but more than one point...
Give them "Rain of Blades -1" at 7th level... please? As a favor to me?
And maybe "Rain of Blades -3" at 4th level...

I find it... 'interesting' that you didn't make Weapon Finesse a pre-requisite... although this way they can use a 2 handed weapon if they want, and someone with a Strength of 10 and a Dexterity of 8 can not have to waste a feat... Not that they would SURVIVE very long in this class... but they could do it...

First, i was going to increase the progression like that, but it would slightly over-power a fighter of the same level. Yes, it would by only a fraction of a Base Attack Bonus, but i dont like steping on toes. if you think it would help the class, go ahead.

Second, i thought about making weapon finesse a pre-req, but i dont like over specializing something. if a strength build fighter wants to build into this, weird, but OK.




lastly, this is the only one of my prestige classes that has seen much use, most of my players that play dextrous characters like it. So i can state that it is a balanced class.

[AjaxTorbin]

I don't believe normal melee attacks have ever provoked attacks of opportunity. However, if you meant the movement, then it might be good to change that so as to avoid confusion.

Overall, this is a nice class, but they just seem to be begging for a charm person spell.

Changed.
and;
everything needs has a weekness


And, i cant beleave i didnt say this before, i have a seventh level ability for the Storm Blade, it hasn't been play tested though.
**see class**