d20 Blackdirge Publishing Master at Arms Nimbleknife.pdf
(
2660 KB
)
Pobierz
Master at Arms
• Nimbleknife •
Written and Created by
Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel
Editing/Proofreading
John Ball
Playtesting
Erik Nowak, Jesse Mohn
Illustration
Jesse Mohn
Graphic Design & Layout
Erik Nowak
Reference to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material.
Blackdirge Publishing and the Blackdirge Publishing logo are trademarks of Aeryn Rudel. All rights reserved.
Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
in the United States and other countries and are used with permission.
‘d20 System’ and the d20 System logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
in the United States and other countries and are used with permission.
The following is designated as Open Game Content: all rules and stat blocks (but not the proper names of characters
and places or their backgrounds). To be clear, the
Master at Arms
property is CLOSED. None of the character names,
backgrounds, place names, stories, or any other part of the
Master at Arms
product is open content.
Published by Blackdirge Publishing, ©2007
publishin
: Orchestrating Innovation
g
Master at Arms
• Nimbleknife •
Design Notes
My primary focus in designing a dagger-based prestige
class was to make the weapon a viable choice without the use
of damage enhancing abilities, namely sneak attack. I wanted a
prestige class that would be attractive to a single class fighter,
not just a fighter/rogue hybrid. Certainly, a nimbleknife’s
abilities could be enhanced with a few levels of rogue, but I
believe multi-classing is not necessary to build a formidable,
dagger-wielding fighter.
In order to make the dagger an attractive choice for
fighters, I had to come to grips with the weapon’s low damage
output. Most single-class fighters rely on dealing large amounts
of damage with their chosen weapon to be effective, and the
dagger’s 1d4 damage die doesn’t allow for a lot of carnage. So,
instead of increasing the damage die for the dagger, and thereby
stripping it of its identity, I chose to focus on an area where the
dagger excels – speed. The dagger is a light, quick weapon,
and when wielded by a fast, accurate character, it should have
the potential to inflict more harm by exploiting chinks in an
opponent’s armor, or simply beating him to the punch. In my
opinion, this translates to more damage, hence the nimble
strike ability, which allows nimbleknives to add some of their
Dexterity bonus to the damage roll.
The other issue I had to deal with was armor. The
nimbleknife by design is a quick and agile fighter, and is
therefore ill-suited to heavy armor, but still needs a decent
armor class to be a frontline warrior. To remedy this problem,
I designed with the concept of avoiding blows rather than
deflecting them, and the nimble defense ability is the result of
this philosophy.
The nimbleknife’s remaining abilities expand on the two
described above, and give the dagger-wielding fighter more
options in a toe-to-toe fight. Evasion, uncanny dodge, and other
abilities simply further illustrate my design philosophy for this
class: strike hard, strike fast, and don’t get hit
Dagger
Nimbleknife
Historical Perspective
The dagger is simply the evolution of the humble knife,
one of mankind’s oldest weapons and tools. The differences
between the dagger and the knife are largely semantic,
although there is some difference in general construction.
The knife is seen as a tool first and a weapon second, where
as the dagger is a fighting man’s sidearm, and few soldiers
throughout history can be found without a serviceable dagger
as part of their fighting kit.
In construction, the dagger is typically double-edged and
designed for stabbing. The knife, on the other hand, is often
single-edged and more appropriate for slashing, making it a
more serviceable tool. In addition, most daggers have a tang
extending into the hilt. This makes the weapon sturdier and less
likely to break with the vigorous use often required in combat.
The history of the dagger is difficult to trace, although it
certainly evolved from the flint and bone knives common in
prehistory. The first metal daggers can be found in the Bronze
Age, around the 3rd millennium BC. The metal dagger predates
the sword, although as metal-smithing techniques improved,
the dagger became larger, and in many regards the first swords
are simply over-sized daggers.
The dagger was relegated to a secondary or even tertiary
weapon early in the history of warfare. It simply lacked the
reach or striking power to be effective against the rapidly
developing swords, axes, and maces of early civilizations.
Not until the Renaissance did the dagger see resurgence in
popularity, first with the stiletto, a thin-bladed stabbing
weapon useful for puncturing armor. In addition, the fencing
styles of the later Renaissance featured the
main-gauche
,
a dagger resembling a miniature rapier in many ways. The
main-gauche
, which means “left hand” in French, was used
in the off-hand to parry incoming thrusts, and to occasionally
attack if the opportunity arose.
Almost every culture has some version of the dagger,
and while most resemble the familiar double-edged fighting
knife, some differ radically in both function and design. One
dagger that differs decidedly in appearance from the norm
is the Indian
katar
. The
katar
is a punching dagger, with a
handle that is made up of two parallel bars connected by two,
or more, crosspieces. The blade of the
katar
is double-edged,
quite sturdy, and is often folded to provide additional strength
and armor-piercing ability.
Class Overview
The nimbleknife is an agile warrior skilled in the use of
knives and daggers as melee weapons. Although they share
some features with rogues, nimbleknives are true frontline
fighters, using their daggers to deal out death and carnage on
par with a berserk barbarian.
The majority of nimbleknives are fighters, although there
are a fair number of fighter/rogues within their ranks. Of the
other martial classes, only the ranger is common, especially
those that specialize in two-weapon fighting. The barbarian
and the paladin are ill-suited to the nimbleknives style of
combat, and generally lack the feat selection to be effective
in the class. Spellcasting nimbleknives are also rare, although
the occasional fighter/sorcerer may take levels in the prestige
class, making good use of minor defensive spells, such as
mage armor
and
shield
.
2
Master at Arms
• Nimbleknife •
N
IMBLEKNIFE
E
NTRY
R
EQUIREMENTS
Hit Die:
d8
Class Skills:
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int),
Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str),
Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Tumble (Dex)
Skill points at each level:
4 + Int modifier
Base Attack Bonus:
+6
Skills:
Jump 5 ranks, Tumble 2 ranks
Feats:
Dodge, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus
(dagger or punch dagger)
Halflings, gnomes, and other small folk are the most common
races to become nimbleknives. Greater agility and a racial
propensity towards the use of smaller weapons makes these races
well-suited to the lethal skills of the class. Of the evil or savage
races, goblins often find make good use of the nimbleknife’s
abilities, as do kobolds and the subterranean derro.
NPC nimbleknives can usually be found employing their
formidable skills as mercenaries. Good and neutral members
of the prestige class often serve as scouts, especially in urban
environments. Evil nimbleknives, especially those with some
rogue levels, are often assassins or simply bandits.
In addition, when using the total defense action, a nimbleknife
receives a +8 dodge bonus to AC and can make a single attack
of opportunity per round. The bonuses from nimble defense
supersede and do not stack with the synergy bonuses granted to
characters with 5 or more ranks in the Tumble skill.
Nimble Strike (Ex):
Adept at utilizing speed and precision
to inflict damage, the nimbleknife may add half her Dexterity
bonus (plus Strength bonus if applicable) to melee damage rolls
(round down) with the dagger or punch dagger when wearing
light or no armor.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex):
A nimbleknife retains her Dexterity
bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or
struck by an invisible attacker. (She still loses any Dexterity
bonus to AC if immobilized.)
If a nimbleknife gains uncanny dodge from a second class,
the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge.
Bonus Feat:
At 2nd and 4th level, a nimbleknife may
choose a bonus feat from the list of feats available to fighters.
This is in addition to the feats that a character of any class
normally gets from advancing levels. The character must still
meet any prerequisites for these bonus feats, including levels of
fighter for the Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus,
and Greater Weapon Specialization feats.
Additionally, in lieu of selecting a bonus feat, the
nimbleknife may select one of the special abilities listed below,
normally only available to rogues.
Defensive Roll (Ex):
The nimbleknife can roll with a
potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than she
otherwise would. Once per day, when she would be reduced to 0
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
The nimbleknife is
proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light
armor and shields (except tower shields).
Fighter Feat Advancement:
At each indicated nimbleknife
level the character is considered to have gained one level of
fighter for the purposes of qualifying for specific fighter feats,
such as Weapon Specialization. The nimbleknife does not,
however, gain any other benefit a character of the fighter class
would have gained, except for access to feats. For example, a
character with 8 levels of fighter and 5 levels of nimbleknife
would be considered a 12th-level fighter for the purpose
of qualifying for feats, and could take the Greater Weapon
Specialization feat, normally only available to characters with
12 true levels of fighter.
Nimble Defense (Ex):
When wearing light or no armor and
fighting defensively, the nimbleknife suffers only a -2 penalty on
attack rolls for the round and receives a +4 dodge bonus to AC.
3
Master at Arms
• Nimbleknife •
or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other
blow, not a spell or special ability), the nimbleknife can attempt
to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the nimbleknife
must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the
save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it
fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and
able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll—if she
is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she can’t use this ability.
Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make
a Reflex save for half damage, the nimbleknife’s evasion ability
does not apply to the defensive roll.
Opportunist (Ex):
Once per round, the nimbleknife can
make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has
just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This
attack counts as the nimbleknife’s attack of opportunity for that
round. Even a nimbleknife with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t
use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
Slippery Mind (Ex):
This ability represents the nimbleknife’s
ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise
control or compel her. If a nimbleknife with slippery mind is
affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving
throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same
DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her
saving throw.
Enhanced Initiative (Ex):
Starting at 2nd level,
when wearing light or no armor, a nimbleknife adds
1.5 times her Dexterity bonus to initiative rolls.
lose its Dexterity bonus to AC against the nimbleknife’s attacks
for the round. The nimbleknife may use improved nimble strike
as often as she likes, although not more than once per round.
Improved Nimble Defense (Ex):
At 5th level, the
nimbleknife has become so adept at avoiding blows when
wearing light or no armor and fighting defensively, she is
considered to have concealment (20% miss chance). In
addition, when using the total defense action, the nimbleknife
is considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance). The
nimbleknife cannot use the concealment provided by improved
nimble defense to make a Hide check
Evasion (Ex):
At 3rd level, a nimbleknife gains
evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows
her to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage,
she takes no damage with a successful saving throw.
The evasion ability can only be used if the nimbleknife is
wearing light armor or no armor.
Improved Nimble Strike (Ex):
Starting at 4th level,
a nimbleknife wielding a dagger or punching dagger
and wearing light or no armor can strike with such
speed that even opponents aware of her presence
may be taken by surprise. At the beginning of
each combat round, the nimbleknife can
designate one creature as the target of her
improved nimble strike ability. The chosen
creature must then make a Reflex saving
throw (DC = 10 + nimbleknife’s level +
nimbleknife’s Dexterity bonus) or
Kyzza Addlestrike
4
Plik z chomika:
R5700
Inne pliki z tego folderu:
d20 Blackdirge Publishing None So Vile Disciples of Darkness IV Doomsayer.pdf
(2424 KB)
d20 Blackdirge Publishing None So Vile Disciples of Darkness III Tortured Savant.pdf
(3972 KB)
d20 Blackdirge Publishing None So Vile Disciples of Darkness II Soul Harvester.pdf
(3621 KB)
d20 Blackdirge Publishing None So Vile Disciples of Darkness I The Ravenous of Agramogg.pdf
(2630 KB)
d20 Blackdirge Publishing Master at Arms Spear Sentinel.pdf
(2169 KB)
Inne foldery tego chomika:
0one Games
12 to Midnight
93 Games Studio
A New Arcadia Publications
Adamant Entertainment
Zgłoś jeśli
naruszono regulamin