Sword Master

Your sword is an extension of yourself, you are not a gladiator who uses any and all weapons at their disposal, a boxer who uses his bare fists, knees and head as weapons, or a cavalier who lances and slashes her enemies from horseback. You are a sword. You take great care to keep your sword in perfect condition, balanced, oiled and sharpened. You spend time every day practicing forms to ensure you know the exact weight and balance of your sword, making it an extension of your arm, and keep your fighting skills at their peak.

Blade Smith

When you take this sub-class at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the artisan skill “Blade Smith” (STR or DEX your choice), you use this skill to maintain your sword, improve its balance, remove combat dings and rattles and keep it sharp and clean. You require a blade smith kit to achieve this.

Blade Smith Kit: A small box, leather roll or case containing tools and equipment required to maintain your sword, the kit includes:

• Metal File flat
• Metal File round
• Course Oilstone
• Fine Oilstone
• Chamois
• Vial of oil
• Jeweler's hammer
• Jeweler's anvil
• Brass & iron rivets of various sizes
  • Weight: 4lb
  • Cost: 50gp
  • Uses: 20

           Note: Replacement oil, rivets and chamois that last 20 uses costs: 5gp

One with the Blade

At 3rd level, you learn a routine that creates a bond between yourself and one sword. You perform the routine over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short or long rest. You spend 15 minutes repairing, sharpening, oiling and balancing your sword. You must have the sword and your blade smith kit on you the whole time. You then spend 45 minutes practicing forms with your sword, feeling its weight and balance and perfecting your skills. You must have your sword on you the whole time.

Once you have bonded a sword to yourself, you can't be disarmed of that sword unless you are incapacitated.

You can only have one bonded sword at any time. If you attempt to bond with a second sword, you must break the bond with the original sword.

At the conclusion of your bonding routine, you gain a bonus +2 damage to all successful attacks with your bonded sword. This bonus damage lasts for a number of attacks equal to your blade smith skill check plus 10, called ‘Blade Smith Bonus’. Any attack with your bonded sword (hit or miss) uses one Blade Smith bonus. All un-used Blade Smith Bonus’ are lost when a new bonding routine is commenced.

Sword Technique

At 7th level you learn sword techniques you can use an amount equal to your proficiency bonus per long or short rest. Sword Techniques are:

Rending: On a hit with your bonded weapon, you can as a bonus action rend the blade back along the open wound, this inflicts a bleeding effect causing 2 damage on the inflicted creatures turn for the next 3 turns, this damage cannot be mitigated, reduced or resisted unless the creature is undead or a construct. It also cannot be regenerated or healed for 24 hours. A target can only have 1 rend effect on it at a time.

Zucken: on a hit with your bonded weapon, you can as a bonus action make another attack, you quickly pull your blade straight back, and pierce it back into the open wound causing 1d6 piercing damage

Pommel Bash: on a miss with your bonded weapon, you can as a bonus action make another attack where you sweep back with the pommel of your sword causing 1d6 bludgeoning damage

Off-Set: you hold your action until you are attacked next by a creature you can see, on that attack you complete a single sword move that deflects the incoming attack as well as makes your attack action against that creature, your opponents attack is at disadvantage, while yours is at advantage.

Bind: as a reaction when someone attacks you with a melee attack, you use your sword to bind their weapon tightly to your side, the weapon becomes stuck and the creature must either spend an action to make an opposed str check to release it, or drop the weapon.

Counter: As a reaction when someone attempts to cause a combat effect on you, you use your sword to re-direct their assault and turn it back on them, causing the intended effect to occur on them instead. Effects are: Bind, Grapple, Disarm, Shove, Charge.

Sword Guard

At 10th level You have learnt certain stances that you use in battle. As a bonus action you can adopt a guard. The way you position your feet, hold your weight and angle your body, as well as the way you hold your sword all change the advantage you gain in battle. Once you adopt a guard, you maintain that guard until you use a bonus action to change to another or take a free action to ‘cease’ all guards. Your guard will be broken if you are knocked prone, grappled, shoved, put in a bind or fall unconscious.

High Guard: you are on high alert; your stance and footwork are slow and precise, anticipating battle. You gain +1 to initiative rolls and perception checks when prepared for combat in this guard; however, your move speed is halved. You can only maintain high guard for a number of minutes equal to your CON bonus, then you must take a break from high guard for a minimum of the same time that you were in high guard x 2.

Extended periods of high guard or not enough break time before re-entering high guard cause you to gain 1 level of exhaustion.

Forward Guard: your feet and sword are poised ready to spring into an attack, while in this guard you gain +5ft reach to hit in any horizontal direction, that attack is also at advantage. Until you attack your speed is 0 and this guard is broken once you attack.

Evasive Guard: your feet and weight are balanced to afford you static protection, while your sword moves quickly to recover from attacks to parry, beat and deflect incoming blows. You have a move speed of 5, but gain +1 to AC while in this guard.

Light Guard: your sword is at the ready but becomes secondary to your footwork, your feet are light and ready to move, you gain +10 speed while in this guard, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity; however, are at disadvantage to all attack and skill checks.

Blade Master

At 15th level, your One with the Blade routine lasts for a number of Blade Smith Bonus’ equal to your bladesmith skill check plus 20.

Superior Sword Technique

At 18th level your sword techniques become more powerful:

Rending: On a hit with your bonded weapon, you can as a bonus action rend the blade back along the open wound, this causes a bleeding effect causing 4 damage on its turn for the next 5 turns, this damage cannot be mitigated, reduced or resisted unless the creature is undead or a construct. It also cannot be regenerated or healed for 24 hours. A target can only have 1 rend effect on it at a time.

Zucken: on a hit with your bonded weapon, you can as a bonus action make another attack, you quickly pull your blade straight back, and pierce it back into the open wound causing 1d8 piercing damage

Pommel Bash: on a miss with your bonded weapons, you can as a bonus action make another attack where you sweep back with the pommel of your sword causing 1d8 bludgeoning damage

Off-Set: you hold your action until you are attacked next, on that attack you complete a single sword move that deflects the incoming attack as well as makes your attack action against that creature, your opponent’s attack is at disadvantage, while yours is at advantage and deals an additional 1d6 damage.

Bind: as a reaction when someone attacks you with a melee attack, you use your sword to bind their weapon tightly to your side, the weapon becomes stuck and the creature must either spend an action to make an opposed str check (to which you gain advantage) to release it, or drop the weapon.

Counter: As a reaction when someone attempts to cause a combat effect on you, you use your sword to re-direct their assault and turn it back on them, causing the intended effect back on them. Effects are: Bind, Grapple, Disarm, Shove, Charge. You also deal 1d6 damage in this encounter.