Sword-sage
“A girl with an axe and a pouch full of runes comes into town, her weapon drawn, fire flashing from her hand, people cower in awe of her mastery of both might and magic, in the synergy with which she uses them... Hmm! I'd have to create a situation.”
Akane Okomo, Sword-Sage and Warden at the Academy of Sokomo
Lore : Some warriors choose to embrace a synergy of blade and arcane skills. These warriors, the Sword-sages, are trained in many academies to blend the fine arts of arcane into their fighting style. Typically used to protect said academies, they are more than mere wizards with a blade or fighters with knowledge of fireballs. They are a weapon of war, who know how to best use magic to adapt to uncertain situations and compliment their honed battle skills. Therein lies their true strength : they are a foe to behold, as they can just as easily dispatch a group of wizards in hand-to-hand combat as destroy a group of armoured mercenaries with perfectly timed magic tricks.
Requirements : Must be able to cast second-tier Runes (level 4 Wizard or level 7 Sorcerer). Must be proficient with all martial weapons and have a base attack bonus of +3.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills : The sword-sage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 3 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: sword-sages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and light armour and shields (except for tower shields).
Class Features : All of the following are class features of the sword-sage.
Active Spirit: At level 1, the Sword Sage gains this feat for free. At level ten, they gain it a second time, doubling their power point reserve.
Wefting: Sword-sages do not cast spells in the traditional fashion. Instead, they combine special tattoos on their hands with a knowledge of basic runecraft to enhance their combat abilities. Sword-sage spells are all treated as though they had Earth as their Range Rune, but the range rune itself does not require any expenditure of Chi to activate. In addition, they do not need a runestone – they are so well practised in their limited repertoire that they can form the rune shape as an integral part of the weave, which almost always also includes a weapon – although some may choose to use their fists instead. They may cast a spell as part of an attack action. The spell automatically affects the target if the attack hits, although secondary targets caught in the effect, such as when a the Shape rune is over-charged, may save to evade as normal. The Sword-sage's Casting Attribute is Intelligence. Spells cast with Runes are Arcane Magic spells.
Runic Affinity 1: At level 1, Sword-sages may choose any Tier One rune as the Core Rune for their Wefting ability. If they desire, instead of the rune's usual effect, they may simply choose to have it deal 1d6 per chi point of damage depending on the rune (Wind, etc.) to any targets caught within the effect.
Motion: At level 1, Sword-sages use the Motion rune as their Shape Rune for their Wefting ability.
Energy Substitution: At level 2, and every three levels thereafter, the Sword-sage may choose an Energy Type – Acid, Cold, Electricity, or Sonic. When using their Wefting ability with the Fire rune, they may instead create a burst of energy of the relevant type, dealing 1d6 points per chi point of damage to any target affected.
Runic Affinity 2: At level 3, the Sword-sage can choose any Tier Two rune as a core rune for their Wefting ability.
Runic Tattoos: At level 4, and every four levels thereafter, the Sword-sage learns further secrets of runic inscriptions and how they can be applied to the body. At each noted level, they may inscribe a single Runic Inscription upon a part of their body, as if creating a Runed Item. If they do not know the rune they wish to inscribe, they must consult with a spellcaster who does. Each body part may only hold a maximum of one Runic Tattoo. For the purposes of this ability, the body parts available are: right forearm, right biceps, chest, back, forehead, left biceps, left forearm, stomach, right thigh, left thigh, right calf, left calf.
Motion 2: At level 6, Sword-sages can use the Motion rune as the Core Rune for their Wefting ability. One of the Sword-sage's signature abilities is to use the Motion rune to add force to their weapon attacks. As a rule of thumb, each 5 lbs of additional force adds 1d3 damage.
Maintain: At level 7, the sword-sage may maintain a spell as a Move action or a Standard Action.
Water: At level 7, the sword-sage may use Water as the Shape Rune for their Wefting ability.
Projection: At level 9, the Sword-sage gains the ability to use advanced magic, albeit in a limited fashion. By using the Matter rune, they can recreate any weapon they have previously seen with an appropriate Craft check and by expending a Chi point. This is a Standard Action, and the weapon appears in the sword-sage's hand. The weapon lasts as long as the ability is Maintained, plus a number of rounds equal to their class level plus their Intelligence modifier. At level 14, they can create a second weapon as part of the same action by spending an additional Chi point, or inscribe a runic array on the projected weapon. At level 19, they may create two weapons with runic arrays. Alternately, they can create a single weapon with two runic arrays, or even create three unruned weapons.
Maintain 2: At level 13, the sword-sage may maintain a spell as a Swift action, a Move action or a Standard Action.
“A girl with an axe and a pouch full of runes comes into town, her weapon drawn, fire flashing from her hand, people cower in awe of her mastery of both might and magic, in the synergy with which she uses them... Hmm! I'd have to create a situation.”
Akane Okomo, Sword-Sage and Warden at the Academy of Sokomo
Lore : Some warriors choose to embrace a synergy of blade and arcane skills. These warriors, the Sword-sages, are trained in many academies to blend the fine arts of arcane into their fighting style. Typically used to protect said academies, they are more than mere wizards with a blade or fighters with knowledge of fireballs. They are a weapon of war, who know how to best use magic to adapt to uncertain situations and compliment their honed battle skills. Therein lies their true strength : they are a foe to behold, as they can just as easily dispatch a group of wizards in hand-to-hand combat as destroy a group of armoured mercenaries with perfectly timed magic tricks.
Requirements : Must be able to cast second-tier Runes (level 4 Wizard or level 7 Sorcerer). Must be proficient with all martial weapons and have a base attack bonus of +3.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills : The sword-sage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 3 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: sword-sages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and light armour and shields (except for tower shields).
Class Features : All of the following are class features of the sword-sage.
Active Spirit: At level 1, the Sword Sage gains this feat for free. At level ten, they gain it a second time, doubling their power point reserve.
Wefting: Sword-sages do not cast spells in the traditional fashion. Instead, they combine special tattoos on their hands with a knowledge of basic runecraft to enhance their combat abilities. Sword-sage spells are all treated as though they had Earth as their Range Rune, but the range rune itself does not require any expenditure of Chi to activate. In addition, they do not need a runestone – they are so well practised in their limited repertoire that they can form the rune shape as an integral part of the weave, which almost always also includes a weapon – although some may choose to use their fists instead. They may cast a spell as part of an attack action. The spell automatically affects the target if the attack hits, although secondary targets caught in the effect, such as when a the Shape rune is over-charged, may save to evade as normal. The Sword-sage's Casting Attribute is Intelligence. Spells cast with Runes are Arcane Magic spells.
Runic Affinity 1: At level 1, Sword-sages may choose any Tier One rune as the Core Rune for their Wefting ability. If they desire, instead of the rune's usual effect, they may simply choose to have it deal 1d6 per chi point of damage depending on the rune (Wind, etc.) to any targets caught within the effect.
Motion: At level 1, Sword-sages use the Motion rune as their Shape Rune for their Wefting ability.
Energy Substitution: At level 2, and every three levels thereafter, the Sword-sage may choose an Energy Type – Acid, Cold, Electricity, or Sonic. When using their Wefting ability with the Fire rune, they may instead create a burst of energy of the relevant type, dealing 1d6 points per chi point of damage to any target affected.
Runic Affinity 2: At level 3, the Sword-sage can choose any Tier Two rune as a core rune for their Wefting ability.
Runic Tattoos: At level 4, and every four levels thereafter, the Sword-sage learns further secrets of runic inscriptions and how they can be applied to the body. At each noted level, they may inscribe a single Runic Inscription upon a part of their body, as if creating a Runed Item. If they do not know the rune they wish to inscribe, they must consult with a spellcaster who does. Each body part may only hold a maximum of one Runic Tattoo. For the purposes of this ability, the body parts available are: right forearm, right biceps, chest, back, forehead, left biceps, left forearm, stomach, right thigh, left thigh, right calf, left calf.
Motion 2: At level 6, Sword-sages can use the Motion rune as the Core Rune for their Wefting ability. One of the Sword-sage's signature abilities is to use the Motion rune to add force to their weapon attacks. As a rule of thumb, each 5 lbs of additional force adds 1d3 damage.
Maintain: At level 7, the sword-sage may maintain a spell as a Move action or a Standard Action.
Water: At level 7, the sword-sage may use Water as the Shape Rune for their Wefting ability.
Projection: At level 9, the Sword-sage gains the ability to use advanced magic, albeit in a limited fashion. By using the Matter rune, they can recreate any weapon they have previously seen with an appropriate Craft check and by expending a Chi point. This is a Standard Action, and the weapon appears in the sword-sage's hand. The weapon lasts as long as the ability is Maintained, plus a number of rounds equal to their class level plus their Intelligence modifier. At level 14, they can create a second weapon as part of the same action by spending an additional Chi point, or inscribe a runic array on the projected weapon. At level 19, they may create two weapons with runic arrays. Alternately, they can create a single weapon with two runic arrays, or even create three unruned weapons.
Maintain 2: At level 13, the sword-sage may maintain a spell as a Swift action, a Move action or a Standard Action.
Level
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 |
Base Attack Bonus
+2 +3 +4 +5 +6/+1 +7/+2 +8/+3 +9/+4 +10/+5 +11/+6/+1 +12/+7/+2 +13/+8/+3 +14/+9/+4 +15/+10/+5 +16/+11/+6/+1 |
Fort Save
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 |
Ref Save
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 |
Will Save
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 |
Abilities
Active Spirit, Wefting, Runic Affinity 1, Motion Energy Substitution 1 Runic Affinity 2 Runic Tattoos 1 Energy Substitution 2 Motion 2 Maintain, Water Energy Substitution 3, Runic Tattoos 2 Projection 1 Active Spirit 2 Energy Substitution 4 Runic Tattoos 3 Maintain 2 Projection 2 Energy Substitution 5 |