Sword Sage

In the realm of relentless warriors and stalwart defenders, the Sword Sage stands apart as a paragon of martial excellence. These consummate combatants devote their lives to the study and mastery of various fighting forms, achieving a level of precision and adaptability that few can rival. Sword Sages are more than mere fighters; they are scholars of the blade, practitioners of the perfect strike, and guardians of ancient martial traditions.

Sword Sages approach combat as a discipline, harmonizing mind, body, and weapon into a singular, fluid force. Their rigorous training encompasses not only physical prowess but also a profound understanding of strategy and timing. Every movement, every strike, is honed to perfection through countless hours of practice and introspection. When they step onto the battlefield, they do so with the grace of a dancer and the deadly precision of a master craftsman.

As a Sword Sage, you are a testament to the power of dedication, strategy, and martial excellence. Your journey is one of continual growth and adaptation, where every battle is an opportunity to perfect your form and deepen your understanding of the martial arts. Whether facing a single formidable adversary or an overwhelming horde, you stand ready, poised in a perfect stance, prepared to turn the tide of any conflict with the mastery that defines the Sword Sage.

Embrace the path of the Sword Sage, and let your blade be the instrument through which you express the true art of combat.

Fighting Forms

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn three martial stances of your choice from the list of stances at the end of this archetype description. You can prepare two martial stances by spending at least one hour during a short or long rest practicing your fighting forms through drills or katas.  

You can learn and prepare additional martial stances as indicated on the Martial Stances table below.

In combat, as a bonus action on your turn, you can enter a martial stance, granting you special abilities for as long as you are in that stance. You can exit your current stance or enter a new stance as a bonus action. Your martial stances end if you are incapacitated, knocked prone, or when combat ends. You may only benefit from one stance at a time.

Martial Stances
Fighter Level	Stances Known	Stances Prepared
3	3	2
7	5	3
10	7	4
15	9	5
18	11	6

Shifting Stances

At 7th level, you can rapidly switch from one stance to another. Once per turn, you can enter or exit a stance as a free action.

Innovated Techniques

By 10th level, you have unlocked the secret to combining martial stances. You can now gain the benefit of two different martial stances at the same time. They must both be activated following the rules for entering stances.

The two stances may have conflicting features; when this happens, the second stance’s rule overrides the previous stance’s rule. For example, if you gained a +2 bonus to Armor Class when you entered Defensive stance, then you enter Aggressive stance using this feature, the Aggressive stance reduces your Armor Class based on your current Armor Class (Defensive stance bonus included), not your original AC.

Tactical Mastery

At 15th level, your profound expertise in martial forms and stances allows you to exploit the battlefield to your advantage, predicting and countering enemy movements with remarkable precision. Choose one feature between Unyielding Focus,  Perfect Response, and Battlefield Awareness.

Battlefield Awareness

Your deep understanding of combat allows you to anticipate and counter enemy strategies. When you use your Action Surge, you can immediately switch to a different stance as part of the same action, without using a bonus action or reaction. Additionally, while in this new stance, you can ignore one type of disadvantage (such as on attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws) that you would normally incur due to the stance’s effects until the start of your next turn.

Perfect Response

You can use your reaction to switch to any martial stance you know whenever you are attacked or when a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is attacked. This stance remains active until the start of your next turn, after which you revert to your previously active stance. This switch does not count against the number of stances you can have prepared.

Unyielding Focus

You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Charisma or Intelligence saving throws (your choice).

Signature Stance

At 18th level, you have mastered your fighting stances. Pick one stance you know. You always gain the benefits of this stance and it doesn’t count against the number of stances you can have active at once. You cannot enter this stance any longer, since you are always in this stance.

Martial Stances

These martial stances may vary in name depending on the schools and masters who teach them.

Acrobat

You move as nimble as a cat. While in this stance, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage on a success and only half damage on a failure. As a reaction, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks. This movement must be used immediately and can be in any direction.

If you end your turn without having moved at least 10 feet, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

Aggressive

You embrace a relentless offensive approach, focusing on delivering powerful, precise strikes while leaving your defenses more vulnerable. While in this stance, you gain a +2 bonus to your attack rolls. However, your Armor Class is reduced by 2. Once per turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack while in this stance, you can make one additional melee weapon attack as part of the same action. This additional attack does not benefit from the stance's attack roll bonus.

Blade & Fist

Your weapon is only one part of your arsenal. While in this stance, you prepare to lash out with your fists, feet, and head as a complement to your weapon attacks. While in this stance, whenever you have a melee weapon attack, you can make an unarmed attack as a part of the same attack. Once per turn, when you hit with both a melee weapon attack and an unarmed strike in this stance, you can make an additional unarmed strike as part of the same action.

Focusing on both weapon and unarmed strikes leaves you open to attacks. Enemies have advantage on opportunity attacks against you while you are in this stance.

Crippling

You use dirty street-fighting techniques to hinder your foes: bashing with pommels, jabbing at eyes, battering ears, or slashing calves. While in this stance, as a part of your attack action, you can forego an attack to make a crippling attack. If the attack hits, it deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) instead of its normal damage. The creature must make a Constitution save (DC = 8 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus) or suffer one of the following conditions of your choice until the end of your next turn: blinded, deafened, restrained, or stunned.

If you miss with your crippling attack, your target can make one melee attack against you as a reaction.

Defensive

You plant your feet firmly on the ground and take a deep breath, readying yourself for an opponent’s attack. While in this stance, you gain a +2 bonus to AC and your speed is reduced by 10 ft. In addition, you can use your action to spend hit dice to recover hit points as if you had completed a short rest.

Ferocious

You tap into a primal ferocity, unleashing raw power in your attacks at the cost of your own stability. While in this stance, you gain a 1d6 bonus to your melee weapon damage rolls. However, you also suffer a -1 penalty to AC and saving throws. If you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack while in this stance, you can make an additional melee weapon attack against another target within your range.

Forceful

You prepare to use the weight of your weapons against your enemy’s center of balance, enabling you to push your enemies around. While in this stance, when you hit with a weapon attack, you can force your target to make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by a Strength (Athletics) check of your own. If your check succeeds, your attack knocks the target prone or pushes it 5 feet in a direction of your choice. On a failure, you have disadvantage on all Dexterity saving throws until the start of your next turn.

Leaping

You prepare to spring at your enemies. While in this stance, as a reaction, you can leap up to 30 feet toward a hostile creature you can see. You may still trigger an opportunity attack if you leave a creature’s space, but you don’t trigger opportunity attacks along the path you travel.

Offensive

You study your enemy’s movements and strike where it hurts most. While in this stance, you gain +1 to attack rolls, and once per turn, you can add an extra damage die when you hit with a melee weapon attack, but you have disadvantage on all Dexterity saving throws. As a bonus action, you can choose to forgo the extra damage die from this stance on your next attack to gain advantage on that attack roll instead.

Precise Strike

You focus on precision and accuracy, ensuring that every strike lands exactly where you intend. While in this stance, your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 but critically fail on 1 or 2. Additionally, you can reroll any 1s or 2s on damage dice from melee weapon attacks, but you must use the new roll.

Protective

You steel yourself to incoming blows to protect yourself and your allies. While in this stance, you gain resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. As a reaction, you can intercept an attack that would have hit that ally within 5 feet of you, causing you to take the damage and any additional effects, instead of the ally. You reduce the damage by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus.

Focusing on protecting others leaves you vulnerable. Attacks against you have advantage if you have used Guardian’s Shield or intercepted an attack since the start of your last turn.

Quick

You raise up on your toes and become more nimble, almost weightless. While in this stance, your speed increases by 10 feet, and your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. While in this stance, none of your attacks add your ability modifiers to damage, however, you can make additional melee weapon attacks equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) as part of the same action.

If you end your turn without making an attack, you lose 10 feet of movement speed until the end of your next turn.

Reactionary

You ready your weapon behind your back and prepare to use your enemy’s momentum against them. While in this stance, when a creature would hit you with a melee attack, but before the damage is rolled, you can use your reaction to force them to reroll. As part of that reaction, you can move the attacker to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you; whether or not it moved, you can also cause the attacker either to repeat the attack against another creature now within its reach or you can attempt to grapple the attacker.

While in this stance, you must use your reaction to attempt to redirect or grapple any creature that attacks you. If you have no available reaction or do not use it, you gain disadvantage on your next attack roll.

Resolute

You stand firm against overwhelming odds, bolstering your defenses and providing unwavering support to allies. You gain a +3 bonus to all saving throws. While in this stance, you cannot be moved against your will unless you are willing or incapacitated. Allies within 10 feet of you gain a +1 bonus to their saving throws and cannot be frightened or charmed while you are conscious. As a reaction, when an ally within 10 feet of you fails a saving throw, you can allow them to reroll the saving throw with a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus. You can use this ability a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Your intense focus reduces your awareness. While in this stance, you cannot benefit from advantage on any Wisdom or Intelligence checks.

Stealthy

You crouch and use shadows, blind spots, and nimble footwork to escape the notice of your enemies. While in this stance, when you move on your turn, you can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check against the Passive Wisdom (Perception) of any creatures in the area. Until your turn ends or you make an action, you are [condition]invisible[/condion] to creatures whose Passive Wisdom (Perception) scores are lower than the result of your check.

If you take damage while invisible in this stance, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher) or immediately lose invisibility. Additionally, when you become visible, you have disadvantage on your next attack roll until the end of your next turn.

Sweeping

Taunting

Your posture becomes straight and tall as you take on an air of confidence and bravado. You lure enemies to their doom with goading words or gestures. While in this stance, when you use the Attack action, you can first make a Charisma (Deception) check contested by your target’s Wisdom (Insight) check as long as the creature can see and hear you. If you succeed, you make your next attack against that creature with advantage. If you fail, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls against that creature for that turn.