RPG Previews: Legends of Chaos & Blade Adapt | Echoes #9

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• Legends of Chaos & Blade Adapt
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Blade Adept

While the majority of martial schools in Lamordi teach the way of the monk, there is growing popularity of a new form of martial discipline. While monks seek perfection of the body as a weapon, the blade adept seeks perfection of his blade as an extension of his body. To him, his weapon and his body are one and the same.

Alrik Aurath of the Silver Dragon developed this style of discipline. Although Alrik found recent demise, his teachings and techniques live on in many schools in Lamordi. The number of schools teaching this new discipline is rapidly increasing.

Adventures: Just as monks do, many blade adepts approach adventures as methods of testing their discipline and technique. It is a tool they use in their quest for self-perfection. Blade adepts may also find themselves as diplomats or champion warriors for their lords.

Characteristics: Blade adepts devote their lives to the study of one weapon. To them, this weapon is not an item, but part of their body. Most blade adepts fight unarmored, as armor gets in the way of the techniques they have perfected. The blade adept also obtains many supernatural abilities in his study of the perfection of the body, such as the ability to resist poisons.

Alignment: The techniques of the blade adept require dedication and discipline. Only those of lawful alignment may become blade adepts.

Religion: The blade adept rarely ever devotes his life, or part of it, to the worship of a deity. The blade adept feels a strong connection with his body and spirit, and does not care for gods or religion.

Background: Blade adepts almost always come from a school that teaches the appropriate martial discipline. Such schools also train monks since many of the abilities gained by both monks and blade adepts are similar. Other blade adepts learn the techniques by learning from an independent master, and never actually set foot inside of a school.

The training and discipline required of blade adepts often leads them to be sought after by the lords of Lamordi. These lords seek the blade adepts to act as diplomats and personal champions, if they can prove themselves to be worthy. Such an invitation is a high honor.

Races: The schools that teach the techniques of the blade adept are exclusively in Lamordi. This almost limits blade adepts to being human, though there is no reason a member of another race could not travel to one of these schools for appropriate training. An elf’s grace would make him a prime candidate for becoming a blade adept, and their long lives allow them to spend much time perfecting their art. Half-elves are also likely to become blade adepts, simply because they fit easily into almost any human society.

Game Rule Information Blade adepts (Bla) have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Wisdom is the prime ability for blade adepts, as it governs their ability to defend themselves and powers many of the additional abilities that blade adepts can learn. Since blade adepts do not wear armor, dexterity becomes necessary for survival. Strength will help a blade adept deal more damage in combat.

Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The blade adept’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex). See the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

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

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blade adepts are proficient with all simple weapons, plus one additional weapon of the blade adept’s choice. This extra proficiency is described below. Blade adepts are not proficient with any armor or shields. A blade adept adds his Wisdom bonus (if positive) to his AC, in addition to his normal Dexterity modifier, and his AC improves as he gains levels. Only add this extra AC bonus if the total of the blade adept’s Wisdom modifier and the number in the “AC Bonus” column is a positive number. The Wisdom bonus and the AC bonus represent a preternatural awareness of danger, and a blade adept does not lose either even in situations when he loses his Dexterity modifier due to being unprepared, ambushed, stunned, and so on. He does lose these AC bonuses when immobilized.

When wearing armor, a blade adept loses his AC bonus for Wisdom, AC bonus for class and level, favorable multiple chosen blade attacks per round, and heightened movement. Furthermore, his special abilities all face the arcane spell failure chance that the armor type normally imposes.

Chosen Blade: Each blade adept must choose a weapon from the following: dagger, rapier, short sword, or any slashing weapon. This bladed weapon is his chosen blade, the type of weapon that he has studied for his entire life (or good portion of). In addition to gaining proficiency with the weapon, he also gains the benefits of the Weapon Focus feat. This can be any weapon from the list above, including exotic weapons. If an exotic weapon also has a martial proficiency associated with it (such as a bastard sword), the blade adept only gains martial weapon proficiency with the weapon.

Chosen Blade Attack Bonus: The blade adept learns to strike with his chosen blade with remarkable quickness. He gains a more favorable number of attacks that can be used only when wielding a weapon of his chosen type, and when unarmored.

Evasion: If a blade adept makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the blade adept instead takes no damage. Evasion can only be used if the blade adept is wearing light armor or no armor. It is an extraordinary ability.

Blade Flurry: The blade adept may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack, but this attack and each other attack made that round suffer a –2 penalty apiece. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it affects attacks of opportunity the blade adept might make before his next action. The blade adept must use the full attack action to strike with a blade flurry.

Deflect Arrows: The blade adept gains the Deflect Arrows feat, but may only use it while armed with his chosen blade.

Fast Movement: At 3rd level and higher, a blade adept moves faster than normal. A blade adept in armor (even light armor) or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed. A dwarf or a Small blade adept moves more slowly than a Medium-size blade adept.

From 9th level on the blade adept’s movement ability is actually a supernatural ability.

Still Mind: At 3rd level, the blade adept gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school.

Slow Fall: At 4th level, the blade adept takes damage as if a fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. At 18th level, the blade adept can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.

Purity of Body: At 5th level, the blade adept gains immunity to all diseases except for magical diseases.

Weapon Finesse: At 6th level, a blade adept gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat while using her chosen blade, regardless of whether the Weapon Finesse feat can normally be applied to the weapon or not.

Wholeness of Body: At 7th level, a blade adept can cure his own wounds. He can cure up to twice his current level in hit points each day, and he can spread this healing out among several uses. Wholeness of body is a supernatural ability.

Leap of the Clouds: At 7th level or higher, a blade adept’s jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to his height.

Improved Evasion: At 9th level, the blade adept takes only half damage on failed saves.

Bonus Feat: At 10th level, 13th level, and 16th level, the blade adept gains a bonus feat. This feat must be chosen from the following list: Acrobatic Strike*, Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Expert Trip*, Expertise, Focused Attack*, Gentle Strike*, Improved Critical, Improved Deflection*, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Power Attack, Power Sunder*, Quick Draw, Spring Attack, Stunning Blade*, Sunder, and Weapon Mastery*. Feats marked with an asterisk (*) are described later in this chapter.

Diamond Body: At 11th level, a blade adept gains immunity to poison of all kinds. Diamond body is a supernatural ability.

Abundant Step: At 12th level, a blade adept can slip magically between spaces, as per the spell dimension door, once per day. This is a spell-like ability, and the blade adept’s effective casting level is one-half his actual level (rounded down).

Diamond Soul: At 13th level, a blade adept gains spell resistance. His spell resistance equals his level + 10.

Weapon Specialization: At 15th level, the blade adept gains the benefits of the Weapon Specialization feat with his chosen blade. He loses this benefit while armored.

Timeless Body: After achieving 17th level, a blade adept no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties he may have already suffered remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the blade adept still dies of old age when his time is up.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon: A blade adept of 17th level or above can speak with any living creature. Empty Body: At 19th level or higher, a blade adept can assume an ethereal state for 1 round per level per day, as per the spell etherealness. The blade adept may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day as long as the total number of rounds spent ethereal does not exceed his level. Empty body is a supernatural ability.

Perfect Self: At 20th level, a blade adept is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid. Additionally, the blade adept gains damage reduction 20/+1.

Ex-Blade Adepts: A blade adept that becomes non-lawful cannot gain new levels as a blade adept, but retains all blade adept abilities.

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