Bladedancer

Many warriors rely on the power of the blade, but none like those who study under the Bladedancer’s Philosophy. Blood, sweat, and inner fire fuel these monsters on the battlefield, fighting with the speed and precision that can rival the Gunslinger Orders themselves.

Bladedancer’s Philosophy

Upon choosing this archetype at 3rd level, you must choose one weapon from the following list to choose to be your favored blade: sickle, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword.  Whenever you choose a Favored Blade, it gains the Finesse property if it does not already have it. Whenever you have one of your Favored Blades drawn you gain advantage on Initiative checks and can take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action. Additionally, due to your intense training with your blades, all of your Favored Blades gain a +1 to Attack and Damage rolls made with them and you can draw one or a pair of your Favored Blades as a Free Action on your turn. 

You choose an additional Favored Blade upon reaching 7th, 10th, and 15th level. 

Quick Parry

Upon choosing this archetype at 3rd level whenever you have one of your Favored Blades drawn and get hit with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add a bonus to your Armor Class equal to your Proficiency Bonus. If the attack misses because of this, you gain a special effect depending on which Favored Blade you make the Quick Parry with:

Sickle. The creature who made the Melee Attack Roll against you must make a DC15 Strength Saving Throw or be disarmed by your Sickle. If they are attacking with a Natural Weapon instead of a Melee Weapon, they make the Saving Throw with advantage and on a failure take your Sickle's damage instead of being disarmed. 

Longsword. The creature who made the Melee Attack Roll against you must make a DC12 Constitution Saving Throw or be Stunned by you knocking them in the head with the longsword's pommel as part of the Reaction, the Stunned condition lasts until the end of your next turn. 

Rapier. As part of your Reaction you can make two quick strikes with your rapier at the target who made the Melee Attack Roll against you, and you make both strikes with Disadvantage. 

Shortsword. As part of your Reaction you can make one quick slice with your shortsword at the target who made the Melee Attack Roll against you. 

Piercing Strikes

When you reach 7th level, you have learned how to deal more damage with your strikes. When attacking with one of your Favored Blades, you add your Proficiency Bonus to your damage. Your strikes with your Favored Blades also now count as magical and ignore resistance to piercing and slashing damage done with them.

Spinning Blades

When you reach 7th level, you have learned how to effectively use smaller blades at a range. When you use a Dart (or anything reskinned from a Dart) or a Thrown Dagger, you can count it as a Favored Blade for the purpose of the attack, allowing any effects that would work for your Favored Blades to work for the ranged attack with these weapons. However, these weapons do not count as a Favored Blade while just in your hand, only when they are thrown do they gain this effect.

Swift Strike Maneuver

When you reach 10th level, you have learned how to move and act faster with your blades. When wielding one of your Favored Blades you have a +10 to your movement speed. Additionally, you have learned how to make the most of your moves in combat, allowing you to take the Attack Action as a Bonus Action instead of an Action. This frees up your Action if you wish to use the other Combat Actions, such as (but not limited to): Help, Hide, Ready, Search, Use an Object, Dodge, etc. By using this maneuver, you can not take the Attack Action on this turn again as an Action, unless you use the Action Surge ability, which allows you to take the Attack Action on the new Action given to you by Action Surge. You can do this 3 times per long rest. 

Dancing Fury

Upon reaching 15th level you have learned how to masterfully use your Bladedancer’s Philosophy to control the area around you. Activating this ability takes an Action, and all enemies within a 5ft radius of you must make a Dexterity Saving Throw equal to 8 + your Dexterity Modifier + your Proficiency Bonus as you eloquently dance around the battlefield and move in a fast blur. On a failed save they take 5d8 piercing damage and are considered Stunned until the end of your next turn, and on a successful save they take half that much damage only. Once you use this feature you can’t do so again until you have completed a long rest.

Grand Philosopher of the Blade

At 18th level you have honed your Bladedancer’s Philosophy to a point you have mastered the battlefield as your dance floor, speeding through the battlefield faster than most people can think. This allows you to choose to take an additional roll in the initiative order when you enter combat as long as you are wielding a Favored Blade, and you have to declare your use of this when initiative is being rolled. Both turns in initiative have a full turn, however when you choose to do this you lose advantage on the initiative checks for this encounter. You can do this twice per long rest. Additionally, you have learned how to make your attacks more accurate, allowing you to score a critical strike on a 19-20 when attacking with one of your Favored Blades.