Sage Blade

Combat is the foundation of a Fighter’s abilities, and a Fighter would be next to nothing without their trusted weapons. Most fighters place great care in maintaining their arms of choice, but those most bonded with their blades reach a higher understanding of battle. Born from a code founded by Kensei Monks, Sage Blades are uniquely in touch with their weapons; no longer seeing them as tools, but as one with the wielder. Each Sage Blade takes pride in the bond they share with their weapons, their skill manifesting in special stances and weapon-care routines.

Sage Weapon

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you spend significant amount of time bonding and meditating with your weapons. Learning to balance their weight, becoming familiar with their length, memorizing optimal strikes, and practicing techniques. Because of your extensive connection with weaponry, you only need to perform a 1 hour ritual to familiarize yourself with a new weapon, turning it into a Sage Weapon. Most features of this subclass can only be performed using sage weapons, and you can bond with a number of weapons equal to your proficiency bonus. While you are wielding a sage weapon, you have advantage on all checks or saving throws against being disarmed.

Sage Stances

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your familiarity with your armaments allows you access to advanced techniques using your sage weapons. These so-called “Stances” activate after you’ve reached a combat flow, moving effortlessly with your weapon in hand. When you successfully land an attack on a creature, you can immediately enter a Sage Stance as a bonus action. While in Sage Stance, you cannot take movement unless your Stance says otherwise, and doing so removes the benefits of your stance until you enter it again. Choose two of the following Stances to learn. You gain another Stance at 10th level (3) and 18th level (4).

Blocking Stance

When you enter this stance, your AC increases by an amount equal to your Wisdom modifier until the start of your next turn

 

Counter Stance

When a creature makes a melee attack against you while you are in this stance, and misses, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature. If you hit, the damage die for your attack will be treated as having rolled its maximum.

 

Defiant Stance

When you enter this stance, you cannot be frightened or charmed until the end of your next turn. If you are currently frightened or charmed when you take this stance, you end the effect on yourself immediately.

 

Hearty Stance

Upon entering this stance, you gain 1d8 in temporary hitpoints until the end of your next turn.

 

Quickfoot Stance

When you enter this stance, you may immediately take extra movement up to half your base movement. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

 

Reckless Stance

When you enter this stance, all attacks on your next turn are made with advantage, but all attacks against you are also made with advantage until the end of your turn.

 

Resilient Stance

When you enter this stance, choose one damage type out of slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage. You have resistance to that damage type until the start of your next turn.

 

Stalwart Stance

While holding this stance, you have advantage on saving throws or ability checks made against falling prone or being pushed.

 

Vigilant Stance

While in this stance, all opportunity attacks you take are made with advantage, and a creature cannot benefit from the disengage action if they begin their turn within five feet of you, and doing so provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

Improved Sage Weapon

Starting when you reach 7th level, your bond with your weapons deepens. You now have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls you make with Sage Weapons. In addition, your weapon attacks made with Sage Weapons score a critical hit on rolls of 19 and 20.

Martial Secrets

At 10th level, your deeper understanding of weaponry unlocks certain hidden and magical abilities lost to time. You gain the following benefits:

• Your nonmagical sage weapons now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• If you bond with a magical weapon that requires attunement using your Sage Weapon feature, the magical weapon does not count against your number of attuned items.
• You can cast the spell Identify over the course of a one hour ritual to discern the properties of a magical weapon. You cannot use this ritual on a magical item that is not classified as a weapon, and once you use this feature you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest

Tireless Warrior

Starting when you reach 15th level, your rigorous training has improved your inner stamina. You now have two uses of Second Wind. Once you take both uses of Second Wind, you can only regain your second use after a long rest.

Guru Strike

Starting when you reach 18th level, your expertise with weaponry allows you to perfect your critical hits. When you score a critical hit using a Sage weapon, you can treat all damage dice rolled as having rolled their maximum.