Sword Brother
(Source: Forge of Shadow)
RequirementsAlignment: Lawful evil or neutral evil. |
|
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Craft (int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis),
and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sword brethren do not gain any armor or weapon proficiencies. However, the sword brethren's training is focus around their black blades and involves swift movements and fluid grace; when using a shield, carrying a medium or heavy load, or wearing medium or heavier armor, a sword brother loses all of his extraordinary class abilities. Most sword brethren wear light armor (typically chain shirts forged of black cold iron) and usually renounce all weapons other than their black blades.
Black Blade: In a dark ceremony before a sacred zordrafin corith, the sword brother's astirax companion is bound into a black sword of cold-forged iron that becomes his badge of office. During this ritual the demons's essence is infused into the blade, which may be either a short sword, longsword, or bastard sword. The choice of weapon, once made, may not be altered in a lifetime of the union: the blade and sword brother are bound until death or destruction parts them. If the sword brother loses his black blade, or it is broken, he loses all supernatural class abilities until he has atoned for his negligence and has been bequeathed a new black blade.
At 1st level, the black blade is a cold iron weapon with double the normal hit points and hardness. In the sword brother's hands, the sword gains a +1 enhancement bonus. As the sword brother grows in power, so too does the blade. The following powers work only when the sword is wielded by the sword brother.
3rd level: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +2, and the sword brother may use detect magic at will as a spell-like ability while holding the sword. When using this ability, the sword brother may add his legate and sword brother levels as a competence bonus to his Spellraft check to determine the school of magic involved in any auras. Caster level is equal to the sword brother's class level.
5th level: The sword constantly seeps a poison called the obsidian tears (Injury; Fort DC 15; initial damage 1d4 Strength, secondary damage 1d4 Dexterity). Sword brothers are immune to the effects of any black blade's obsidian tears.
7th level: The sword gains the frost enhancement and the DC to resist its obsidian tears increases to 17.
9th level: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +3, and the DC to resist its obsidian tears increases to 19.
Fluid Style (Ex): The sword bretheren's fighting style combines agility with force. When wielding his black blade, the sword brother adds 1 point of Dexterity bonus (if any) per sword brother class level to his attack and damage. For instance, a 2nd-level sword brother with a Dexterity score of 16 (+3 bonus) can add +2 to his attack and damage rolls when wielding his black sword.
Greater Weapon Focus (Ex): The sword brother is treated as having the Greater Weapon Focus feat when wielding his black blade, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the rogue class ability of the same name.
Deadly Dance (Ex): The sword brother is treated as having the Cleave and Whirlwind Attack feats when wielding his black blade, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for those feats. Note that unlike the normal use of the Whirlwind Attack feat, a sword brother using this ability need not forfeit any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats or abilities (such as the Cleave feat or the haste spell).
Defensive Weave (Ex): When wielding his black blade and using Combat Expertise, the sword brother gains an additional +1 dodge bonus to his Armor Class for every -1 he takes to his attack roll. Additionally, he can take a penalty of up to his sword brother class level on his attack roll, rather than the normal maximum of -5.
Weapon Specialization (Ex): The sword brother is treated as having the Weapon Specialization feat when wielding his black blade, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat. If the sword brother already has the Weapon Specialization feat with the weapon of the black blade's type, he is instead treated as if he had the Greater Weapon Specialization feat.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the rogue class ability of the same name.
One With the Sword (Su): At 10th level, the sword and the sword brother become inevitably intertwined with one another. This has many effects. First of all, the sword brother's bond to his sword is such that it cannot be disarmed or removed from his grasp without his consent. The sword is also very nearly unbreakable: it is immune to all physical damage, and can only be destroyed if it fails its save against a disjunction or disintegrate spell, and even then the disintegrate spell must still do enough damage to reduce the sword to 0 hit points. Alternatively, a destruction spell targeted at either the sword or the sword brother will, if the target fails its save, destroy both utterly.
Whenever the sword brother is reduced below 0 hit points, his body stabilizes automatically and his spirit is instantly transported to his black blade as if he had cast a magic jar at caster level 10 using his black sword as the receptacle. The sword brother may act as if under the effect of a magic jar for the duration of the ability, including being able to posses other creatures. The DC for this ability is Wisdom-based.
Finally, when the sword drinks the blood of another, the sword brother prospers. For every five points of damage inflicted using the blade, the sword brother gains one temporary hit point. When the sword brother suffers damage, these hit points are lost first, and in any case, disappear after 1 hour.
| Class Level |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Black blade, fluid style |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Greater Weapon Focus |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Black blade, uncanny dodge |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Deadly dance |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Black blade, defensive weave |
| 6th | +6 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Weapon Specialization |
| 7th | +7 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Black blade |
| 8th | +8 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Improved uncanny dodge |
| 9th | +9 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Black blade |
| 10th | +10 | +3 | +7 | +7 | One with the sword |