Blade Dancer

The lights start low in the big top tent. The crowd hushed by the weight of anticipation. The slow rhythm of the drums begin, building up. As they reach the height of intensity, blades of red flame flick out of the dark, flying over the audience, sinking into oil coated pillars spaced around the tent. The pillars ignite, flames racing upwards and illuminating the space in mere seconds. Pyrotechnics flare with a bang, bringing focus back to the stage, the Blade Dancers appear, their blades glinting and glimmering in the newly blazing air. Showtime.

 Blade Dancers are agile performers. Unlike Bards however, Blade Dancers entertain with dexterously daring displays of acrobatics and unerring accuracy, filled with danger. They throw blades, catch them out of the air, light them on fire, juggle them, ususally while looking at something else with a cocky grin or mischievous wink. They employ clever uses of pyrotechnics and sleight of hand to distract their intended audience, then seemingly pull these blades out of nowhere, which appear to fly and dance in the hands of the Blade Dancers.

Blade Dancers come in many styles and forms, Arabian style belly dancers, big top carnival performers or harlequin court entertainers are some examples. Physicality and movement play a big part of their skill set, so they ususally learn some form of performance.

Their famed skills however also serve another obvious purpose. The dealing of death. Some morally darker Blade Dancers use their skills for just this purpose. They might earn coin for assassinations, or perhaps join a thieves guild to offer their nimble services to. Some utilise their theatricality and performance to mask their true intent, moving into position before striking. Others use their acrobatic skill to find advantageous positions before letting a precise blade fly down.

 

Throwing Weapon Adept

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you become particularly adept in the art of throwing weapons. As as such gain proficiency with weapons that posess the thrown property. This allows you to add your proficiency bonus to attacks made with the thrown property. Your damage rolls with throwing weapons also increase to 1d6.

In addition your thowing weapons become more dangerous as you gain levels in Fighter, doing more damage and throwing further.

At Higher levels: Damage increases to 1d8 at 5th level, 1d10 at 11th and 1d12 at 17th. Your range increases to 40ft at 5th level, 45ft at 11th and 50ft at 17th.

Dangerous Display

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in either Acrobatics or Performance.

You also learn to use your flair and speed to enhance your strikes and skills.

Flourishes. You learn two flourishes of your choice, which are detailed under “Flourishes” below. Many flourishes enhance an attack in some way while others allow you to leverage your skills in useful ways. Each use of a flourish must be declared before the attack roll or skill check is made. You can use only one flourish per attack.

You learn an additional flourishes of your choice at 5th, 7th, 10th, and 15th level. Each time you learn a new flourish, you can also replace one flourish you know with a different one.

Flair. You gain a number of flair points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses after a short or long rest.

Saving Throws. Some of your flourishes require your targets to make a saving throw to resist the strike's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

   Flair Strike save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

Acrobatics

Choose Acrobatics 

Performance

Choose Performance 

Flourishes

Choose from the options below.

Harrowing Slash

When you make a weapon attack against a creature, you can expend 1 or more Flair points. If the attack hits, you can roll one additional weapon damage die per stamina point spent.

Misdirection

You may spend one Flair point to gain advantage on either a Deception or Sleight of Hand check. You must declare this before the roll is made.

Pinning Strike

As part of a melee or thrown weapon attack, you may spend a Flair point to attempt to pin the target. The creature must make Dexterity saving throw. If the creature fails, their speed is reduced to 0 until the end of creatures next turn.

Quick Throw

Immediately after making a weapon attack against a creature, You may spend a Flair point to throw a second knife at a different target in range as part of the Attack.

Quickstep

When targeted by an attack that would otherwise hit you, you may spend 1 Flair point as a reaction to dodge it instead, moving 5ft into an available, unoccupied space. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Razor Rain

As a Bonus Action, you may spend a number of Flair points of your choice. For each point spent you may throw a knife into the air then designate a space within range where you aim them. On your next turn, if the space is empty, you may move into the designated space and use your Bonus Action to automatically catch each knife and rethrow them at any creatures within range of your choice, rolling an attack roll for each knife. 

The damage is equal to your Throwing Weapon Adept damage die.

If there is a creature in the designated space already, then you may roll the attack roll(s) without moving.

Red Hot Shrapnel

You may spend a Flair point to throw a knife with a pyrotechnic attached. Any creature within 5ft of the target creature takes 1d6 fire damage.

Retribution

Spend one Flair point as a reaction to taking damage from an attack to immediately throw a knife at the attacker.

Seeking Strike

You can expend one Flair point to gain advantage on the attack roll against that same creature.

Showmanship

You may spend one Flair point to gain advantage on either a Acrobatics or Performance check.

Tripblade

When you make a weapon attack against a creature, you can expend one Flair point to attempt to topple a moving target. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Wounding Throw

When you make a thrown weapon attack against a creature, you can expend 1 Flair point. On a hit, the creature takes damage and must make a CON saving throw (DC {{savedc:dex}}) or suffer disadvantage on attacks until the end of their next turn.

Bag of Tricks

Upon reaching 10th level, you learn to use theatricality and deception to benefit your craft and can utilise a special bag of tricks for combat. 

You gain Proficiency with Alchemist's Supplies if you don't already have them. You may use these supplies to craft various tricks that can produce various effects, listed below. You may craft up to three tricks at any one one time, which takes 1 hour. You may only have a maximum of three tricks at any one time, but you may have any number of combination of the available tricks.

Effects of your tricks use your Flourish DC. You have advantage on Saving Throws against your own trick effects.

At higher levels: You gain additional tricks at 14th and 17th level.

Flashbang. As an Action you may create an intense flash and a deafening bang up to 20ft away. Any creature in a 10ft sphere of the point of detonation must make a Constitution saving throw or be Stunned for 1 minute.

Smokebomb. As an Action you may throw a cloud of smoke up to 20ft away. The cloud fills a 20ft diameter sphere which completely obscures visual sight that lasts for 1 minute.

Magician's Snap. As a Bonus Action you may throw a small pyrotechnic flash at your feet to create a distraction, allowing you to take the Disengage action as part of this Bonus Action.

Oilslick. As an Action you may throw a oil up to 20ft away. It covers a 10ft square area and any creature walking over it must make a Dexterity Saving Throw or fall prone and lose any remaining movement for that turn. The oil is flammable and if lit causes 2d8 fire damage to anything the oil touches, it continues to burn until the end of your next turn after which the oil burns away. Otherwise the oil lasts for one hour.

Glowpaint Jar. As an Action you may throw glowpaint up to 20ft away. Any creature in 10ft square must make a Dexterity saving throw or be covered in luminous paint. A failure results in Attack rolls against painted creatures having advantage and gain no benefit from Invisibility effects. The paint last for 1 minute.

 

Flashbang

As an Action you may create an intense flash and a deafening bang up to 20ft away. Any creature in a 10ft sphere of the point of detonation must make a Constitution saving throw or be Stunned for 1 minute.

Glowpaint Jar

As an Action you may throw glowpaint up to 20ft away. Any creature in 10ft square must make a Dexterity saving throw or be covered in luminous paint. A failure results in Attack rolls against the painted creatures having advantage and gaining no benefit from Invisibility effects. The paint last for 1 minute.

Magician's Snap

As a Bonus Action you may throw a small pyrotechnic flash at your feet to create a distraction, allowing you to take the Disengage action as part of this Bonus Action.

Oilslick

As an Action you may throw a oil up to 20ft away. It covers a 10ft square area and any creature walking over it must make a Dexterity Saving Throw or fall prone and lose any remaining movement for that turn. The oil is flammable and if lit causes 2d8 fire damage to anything the oil touches, it continues to burn until the end of your next turn after which the oil burns away. Otherwise the oil lasts for one hour.

Smokebomb

As an Action you may throw a cloud of smoke up to 20ft away. The cloud fills a 20ft diameter sphere which completely obscures visual sight that lasts for 1 minute.

Trick up the Sleeve

At 10th level, you have learnt to hide blades in every nook and cranny. As such you have advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to conceal small weapons such as daggers, darts or knives.

You also learn to take advantage of your quick reflexes and hidden blades, excelling at catching opponents off guard. You can use a Bonus Action to throw a quick 'Flurry O' Knives' that creature dealing 3d8 plus piercing damage plus your Dexterity modifier. Your speed then increases by 10 feet for the duration of that turn.

If you take your turn before a creature in the first round of combat or they are surprised, you gain advantage on the attack roll.

You may use this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.

At Higher levels. Damage increases to 4d8 at 12th level, and 5d8 at 17th.

Fireweaver

At 15th level, You master the use of fire, combining it with your weapons by weaving it into your combat repitoire.

You may use your Alchemist's Supplies to spend a hour to prepare a magical fireoil which can coat 20 pieces of ammunition or 2 melee weapons. You may instead coat 10 pieces of ammunition and 1 melee weapon. The oil lasts 8 hours and can be lit as part of drawing your weapon. Once lit, the oils burns for 1 minute and casts bright light out to 10ft. Any weapon dealing damage with the lit oil, deals an additional 1d8 fire damage.

Any weapon the oil is applied to, counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.

Showtime

At 18th level, your Thrown Weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20, and you regain a Flair point on a roll of 19 or 20 on a d20 attack roll.