The Blade[D&D Prestige Class]

The Blade
The blades' mastery of wielding, throwing, and juggling blades benefits both a career in entertainment and one in adventuring. Show-offs and performers at heart, blades are known for their brash style, seductive grins, and self-confidence. They commonly travel with circuses, thrilling and charming crowds, or out on their own as swashbuckling heroes, freelance entertainers, or charming outlaws.

Due to the skill requirements of this prestige class, blades are almost always bards, rogues, or swashbucklers.



Requirements
To qualify to become a blade (Blad), a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any nonlawful.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Balance 1, Intimidate 2, Jump 6, Perform (Dance) 8, Sleight of Hand 4.
Feats: Dodge, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Any blade). The character must have weapon proficiency in at least two blades.
Special: For the purposes of this prestige class, blades are defined as cutlasses, daggers, kukris, longswords, rapiers, scimitars, and short swords.

Game Rule Information
Blades have the following game statistics.

Base Attack Bonus: Average (as a shadowdancer).
Hit Die: d8.
Saves: Good Reflex and Will / Poor Fortitude.
Class Skills: The blade's class skills are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex). Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the blade prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Blades are proficient with all simple weapons and with the blade of their choice. They gain no additional armor proficiencies.

1. Brash, Dazzling Display
   
2. Deepest Cut [+1d6]
   
3. Defensive Spin
   
4. Trick Throw [+1d4]
   
5. Battle Display
   
6. Deepest Cut [+2d6]
   
7. Deadly Is My Middle Name
   
8. Trick Throw [+2d4]
   
9. Offensive Spin
   
10. Deepest Cut [+3d6]

Brash
The blade’s witty remarks and taunting gestures can distract his enemies while fueling his own irrepressible bravado. When not wearing armor or using a shield, he adds 1 point of his Charisma bonus (if any) per blade class level to his Dexterity bonus to modify Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If the blade is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his Dexterity bonus, he also loses this bonus. This is extraordinary.

Dazzlng Display
He can whirl his blades in a dazzling display of skill, precision, and showmanship. As a full-round action, the blade can effect a hypnotic pattern with his flashing display when in light or no armor. Susceptible creatures in a 15 foot spread before the blade and that can see him must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + blade level + Charisma modifier) or stand fascinated. The blade can perform this spell-like ability once per day + once per day for every 2 blade levels, rounded down. While executing a Dazzling Display, he can only move at half-speed.

Deepest Cut [2nd/6th/10th level]
The blade cuts deep. At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, he gains the ability to strike precisely with a blade, gaining an extra 1d6 damage added to his normal damage roll. When making a deepest cut, the blade cannot attack or defend with the weapon in his other hand or use a shield. Deepest Cut only works against living creatures with discernible anatomies and subject to critical hits. It is extraordinary and part of full attack action.

Defensive Spin [3rd level]
He can perform a graceful spin to avoid blows, often resulting in a whirling pirouette of razor edges. If the blade chooses to execute the total defense action in melee, he gains an additional +1 dodge bonus to his Armor Class for each blade level. In addition, creatures within 5 feet that successfully strike the blade with a melee weapon while he is in this mode must succeed at a Reflex save (DC = blade level + Dexterity modifier) or suffer half-damage from any slashing weapon in the blade’s main hand or either his main hand (60%) or off-hand (40%). If using a natural weapon against the blade, the DC increases by +4. This extraordinary ability requires the blade have 11 ranks in Perform (Dance).

Trick Throw [4th/8th level]
The blade has been known to snip a clover from its stem, separate an ember from its wick, or slice an apple balancing on a child’s head – all at a gasp-inducing distance. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, he gains the ability to strike precisely with a thrown dagger, gaining an extra 1d4 damage added to his normal damage roll and enjoying a bonus to his attack roll equal to half his levels in blade. Trick Throw's bonus damage only works against living creatures with discernible anatomies and subject to critical hits. It is an extraordinary ability and part of a full attack action.

Battle Display [5th level]
The blade can whirl his blades in an intimidating display of deadly steel. Up to two times per day, he can effect fear. All creatures in a 30 foot spread before the blade and that can see him must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + blade level + Charisma bonus) or flee in terror. He can perform this spell-like ability for up to a number of rounds each time equal to his Charisma bonus. While executing his Battle Display, the blade can only move at half-speed.

Deadly Is My Middle Name [7th level]
The blade makes up for his lack of true martial prowess with deadly proficiency in fighting with a blade in each hand. When fighting with two blades in light or no armor, he enjoys the benefits of the Improved Two Weapon Fighting feat. If he already has the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat, he enjoys Greater Two-Weapon Fighting but only if he otherwise qualifies for the feat.

Offensive Spin [9th level]
Becoming a deadly whirling of flashing blades, he is an army of one. The blade gains the benefit of the Whirlwind Attack feat when in light or no armor, even if he does not otherwise qualify for the feat. Executing the Offensive Spin requires the blade have 17 ranks in Perform (Dance).

Epic Blade: The epic-level blade continues his Hit Die, skill point, Deepest Cut, and Trick Throw progressions. In addition, he receives bonus epic feats at 13th level and every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, etc.).

History: Originally posted on the Wizards of the Coast message boards in 2002 as an adaptation of the 2E kit for bards. Updated a few times over the years, most recently on December 5th, 2006, with an increase to skill points.

Board Link: To feedback on this class posted on the Wizards of the Coast message boards.