Blademaster (5e Class)

The man appears to dance through the battlefield, each strike leading into the next, climaxing in brillant decapitations and vital point blows. The warriors deft hands and feet never out of place and always a blur, striking swiftly at any advantage given.

Blademasters are diligent artists with the blade, working years at mastering combinations of attacks and footwork accumulating in stances and strikes for all situations.

Mechanically, the blademaster uses stances and successive attacks to build combos to unleash stronger and stronger attacks.

Why did they become a blade master? Why did he decide to travel? Do they fight for anyone? Why or why not? What happened to their master? Are they avenging someone or are they simply trying to find the pinnacle of blade artistry?

Quick Build

You can make a Blademaster quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the folk hero or hermit background. Third, choose a longsword, scale mail, 5 javelins, and an explorer's pack.

Class Features

As a Blademaster you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Blademaster level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Blademaster level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light and medium armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons,Martial Melee Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose four skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Scale mail or (b) leather armor
• A weapon you are proficient with
• (a) five javelins or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10gp in funds.

Starting at 1st level, when you begin your turn you may choose to shift to a stance you know. You may not change stances if your speed is 0, but you retain the effects of the previous stance. You begin by knowing three stances, Panther, Crab, and Road Runner and learn more as you gain levels in the blademaster Class.

• Panther Stance: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.
• Crab Stance: You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class and Saving throws.
• Road Runner Stance: Your Speed increases by 10.

Starting at 1st level, you learn to fluidly connect your attacks. Each attack you make generates a combo point. You may have a maximum of 3+ your level number of Combo Points. If you would gain a combo point while you are at the maximum number of combo points, instead nothing happens. When you roll for initiative, you lose all combo points.

Starting at 1st level, every time you make an attack, you may add the effects of a maneuver to the attack. You learn these basic maneuvers to include in your combo. Each maneuver is categorized as an Opener, Flourish, or Finisher.

• An opener you may only use when you have no (0) combo points.
• A flourish you may use anytime you have one (1) or more combo points.
• A finisher does not generate a combo point and instead consumes all of your combo points. You may only use a finisher when you have the minimum number of combo points required. This number is listed after “finisher” in the description of the technique. You may cast one of each per turn.

If a maneuver would require a saving throw, the DC is: 8 + your proficiency modifier + your choice of strength or dexterity modifier.

You start off knowing the following maneuvers:

• Battojutsu(Quick Draw): Opener, You gain 2 combo points instead of one.
• Parry: Opener, you gain +1 to AC until the start of your next turn.
• Mutilate: Flourish, you gain +1 to the damage roll
• Quick Strike: Flourish, you gain +1 to the attack roll
• Precision Strike: Finisher 3 (requires 3 combo points minimum), you gain +1 to the attack roll for each combo point you have.
• Rupture: Finisher 3, you gain +1 to the damage roll for each combo point you have.

Starting at 2nd level, while wielding a weapon you are proficient with and no shield:

• If you took the attack action this turn, you may make an additional attack as a bonus action.
• You may add a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.

At 3th level, You have learned that your training was not only meant for the blade, you gain power from a secret passed down generation by generation, teacher to student. You gain proficiency with the medicine skill and herbalism kits, as part of intensive training with the natural world. As part of a long rest, you have learned to gather natural energy everywhere known as estus, and encase it in a small bottle that you craft by spending 8 hours collecting natural materials for it and crafting it by hand and blade. Such a bottle or flask is known as an Estus Flask.

You have 2 swigs that heal those able to drink from it, which are restored as part of a long rest. You gain one additional swig every 2 levels after you gain this feature. As an action, you or any creature you're able to see within 5ft of you that you choose can drink a number of swigs equal to their constitution modifier, each swig healing the target for 1d6+4 hit points. Alternatively, you expend 1 swig to stabilize a creature with 0 hp, healing them 1d4+1 instead. You can wield the Estus Flask in an off-hand, and forgo any number of your attacks for a single swig of Estus each. At level 18th, any healing done by the flask is doubled after the rolls.

If you were to lose this flask, you can spend 8 hours crafting one out of natural materials found in the wild for a whole week between long rests. A creature you trust can hold the flask for you, however, they must attune to it as a magical item and cannot give it to anyone else, cursing them to never be left alone without them, gaining the ability to have 2 swigs per rest. If they die while holding onto this flask while attuned and cursed to it, the flask is cracks and they turn into a revenant creature whose only sworn goal is to return the flask back to you.

At 3rd level, you choose a path to modify your movement and blade techniques. These paths are schools of training that emphasize certain aspects of blademaster techniques. Choose from the Path of Adamantine, Path of Mithril, or Path of Iron, all detailed at the end of the class description. The path you choose grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 9th, 14th, and 17th level.

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

At 6th level, you master the following maneuvers:

• Riposte: Opener, whenever a target would miss you with a melee attack before your next turn, you may use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against that target.
• Hamstring: Flourish, target’s speed is reduced by 10 feet on hit for 3 of its turns.
• Cleave: Flourish, you deal damage to an enemy adjacent to the target equal to half of the damage dealt to the original target.
• Kick: Flourish, if the target of this attack was concentrating on a spell, if this attack hits, the concentration immediately ends.
• Chakra Puncture: Finisher 8, if this attack hits, target must also succeed on a constitution saving throw or else it is stunned until the end of your next turn.

At 7th level, you master these more advanced stances:

• Wolf Stance: your allies have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that is hostile to you.
• Hippo Stance: You gain a +1 bonus to AC and a +1 bonus to damage rolls.
• Crane Stance: You gain a +1 bonus to saving throws and a +1 bonus to attack rolls.

At 10th level, you gain a unique sense of breathing that strengthens your resolve and ability to commit to an act, be it in or out of battle. This is a result of your hardships and thorough nights of concentration and self-improvement. You’re now able to breathe twice as long underwater and have full speed climbing and swimming, as long as you don’t wear heavy armor.

Through such experiences, you also gain the ability to embrace the nature around you and imbue your weapon with natural energy like Estus. With such, as a bonus action, you can gather your breath until the start of your next turn. When doing so, you gain resistance to the damaging effects of magical spells, advantage on saves against magical effects or hazards that you can see, and your weapon attacks deal additional force damage equal to 1d6. While these effects are active, any benefits from any stance are nullified until the start of your next turn.

At 20th level, as long as you’re not incapacitated, you permanently gain these effects (no activation required) as a feature and do not lose the benefits of your stances. Also, the bonus damage increases to 1d8.

At 11th level, you learn these stances that enable you to move and respond faster:

• Hummingbird Stance: While in this stance, you may make an additional attack as part of your attack action. (3 total)
• Stallion Stance: While in this stance, your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. Additionally, you may use a bonus action to double your speed.
• Elephant Stance: While in this stance, you can not be moved against your will.

At 13th level, you learn the most advanced basic maneuvers for your combos:

• Shunpo: Opener, teleport 10 feet in any direction before or after you make this attack.
• Air Sickle: Opener, the attack has an extended range of 10 feet, and the weapon’s damage type turns to force.
• Pommel Strike: Flourish, the target has disadvantage on the next weapon attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.
• Deliberate Strike: Finisher 16, this attack has a +10 bonus to the attack and damage rolls. Add +1 to the attack and damage roll for each combo point you have over 16.
• Eviscerate: Finisher 10, if this attack hits, it becomes a critical hit. In addition, Add 1d6 damage for each combo point that is consumed over 10. This bonus damage is not affected by critical hit effects

Starting at 15th level, you learn to trade accuracy for swift strikes. You can only use this flourish maneuver if you have advantage on a target. You can forgo the advantage on that attack, and if that attack connects, you can make an additional attack against that target. This flourish is able to be used constantly and is stackable up to a number of dex modifier additional attacks in addition to any added additional attacks by other features or effects. This maneuver can only be used while wielding a weapon your proficient with and no other weapons.

Starting at 18th level, you have learned to combine your stances. You may be in two different stances at the same time. At the beginning of your turn, you may switch one or both stances.

Starting at 20th level, you no longer have a combo point maximum and finishers consume a maximum of half of your combo points or the number of combo points required to activate the finisher, whichever is greater. Finishers that have an increased effect dependent on the number of combo points you have still have the full effect. You may now use an opener when you have no combo points or anytime the last attack you made was a finisher.

For example, if you use Rupture with 10 combo points, the attack gets +10 damage and you go down to 5 combo points.
  If you use Deliberate Strike, which requires 16 combo points, with 18 combo points, you gain +12 to the attack and damage rolls and have 2 combo points remaining.

Heavy Footed

At 3rd level, you gain an additional +2 bonus AC while you are in crab stance, hippo stance, or elephant stance. Additionally, when you flourish, you may choose to not gain combo points from that attack and instead add an additional +2 to the damage roll.

Steel Scale Defense

At 9th level, you may use your action to shore up your defense. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a +5 bonus to AC and saving throws. You also gain 3 combo points.

Long Reach

At 14th level, you have learned to plant yourself and strike from afar. While in Crab stance, hippo stance, or Elephant stance, you may use the Air Sickle opener as if it were a flourish.

Turtle Destruction Wave

At 17th level, you learn the very essence of the Adamantine Path in the form of a finisher. You must be in crab stance, hippo stance, or elephant stance in order to use this finisher. Unlike other maneuvers, you use your action to make this special maneuver, expending a swig of your Estus Flask. Once you use this finisher, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

   Turtle Destruction Wave: Finisher 20, You unleash a beam of energy in a 15x40 foot line. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 14d6+40 force damage and is knocked back 20 feet. On a successful save, a target takes half damage and is knocked back 10 feet. Any building or object in this area takes double damage, regardless of size.

Swift Footed

At 3rd level, while in Road Runner stance, Crane stance, or Hummingbird stance you have an additional +2 bonus to attack rolls and you may use Battojutsu as a flourish as well as an opener.

Swift Strikes

At 9th level, you may use an action to make a whirlwind attack. Make a melee weapon attack on every enemy within 5 feet of you. Do not add your ability score modifier to the damage rolls of these attacks. You may only use flourishes for these attacks, even if you have no combo points. You gain no combo points until the entire action is finished at which point you gain 3 combo points regardless of how many attacks you made.

Flash Step

At 14th level, while in Road Runner stance, Crane Stance, or Hummingbird stance, you may use Shunpo as a finisher with a 6 combo point minimum requirement. If shunpo is used as a finisher in this way, you may target an enemy creature up to 15 feet away, and if you do, the creature you teleported to takes an additional 2d12 piercing damage on your next attack on that target. Also, instead of it consuming all of your combo points as a finisher, it only consumes 6.

Judgement’s Strike

At 17th level, you learn the very essence of the Mithral Path in the form of a finisher. You must be in Road Runner stance, Crane Stance, or Hummingbird stance in order to use this finisher. Unlike other maneuvers, you use your action to make this special maneuver, expending a swig of your Estus Flask. Once you use this finisher, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

   Judgement’s Strike: Finisher 10, Choose a number of creatures within 120 ft of you. As part of this special attack action, make one attack against each creature that you choose or an object within 5ft that range of said creatures of your choice, up to maximum to a number equal to your current combo point count. Regardless whether the attack hits or not, at the end of your turn, every creature or object affected by this finisher takes 3d10 thunder damage, buildings and objects take double damage, and each creature that you choose that you hit with the attack takes the weapon’s damage type and any other relevant modifiers and bonus damages, but replacing the base damage of the weapon with 8d8 damage. If you so choose, you can target only one creature with this finisher, and if you do, any damage done to it is doubled by this finisher.

Claw Footed

At 3rd level, when you are in Panther stance, Wolf stance, or Stallion stance, you gain an additional +1 bonus to damage rolls. When you use the Mutilate flourish in one of those stances, you add an additional +2 to the attack and damage roll.

Heavy Strike

At 9th level, you may use an action to make a melee weapon attack against one target within your range. You may use maneuvers as normal with this weapon attack. Make this attack using the weapon’s normal modifiers for attack and damage dice but its base damage dice are replaced with 3d8. You gain 2 combo points instead of 1 for this attack.

Critical Finishers

At 14th level, when you use a finisher in Panther stance, Wolf stance or Stallion stance, The attack made with finisher maneuvers may be a critical hit on a normal roll, however by expending a swig of your Estus Flask, you can make that attack that hit a critical hit, and treat the finisher as if you had 2 additional combo points. You are still required to have the minimum number of combo points to activate the finisher without including these combo points. If you actually score a critical as if normally while making a finisher, you can instead deal the maximum number of damage able from the damage dice of the attack (treated as if it were a critical) by expending a swig of your Estus Flask, only if its a finisher and you’re using the right stance for this feature to take effect.

Crescent Moon Claw

At 17th level, you learn the very essence of the Iron Path in the form of a finisher. You must be in Panther Stance, Wolf Stance, or Stallion Stance in order to use this finisher. This maneuver does not benefit from the Critical Finishers feature. Unlike other maneuvers, you use your action to make this special maneuver, expending a swig of your Estus Flask. Once you use this finisher, you may not use it again until you finish a long rest.

   Crescent Moon Claw: Finisher 16, your blade extends and swipes every enemy in a 15ft x 15ft square in front of you, originating from the left. Make an attack roll for each enemy in the area using the weapons normal modifiers for attack and damage rolls but its base damage dice are replaced with 6d10 and it deals radiant damage, the attack with this finisher allows a higher chance for a critical strike, lowering the threshold from 20 to 18. If a creature dies, their soul is instantly shattered across the ethereal and the astral plane, leaving them no way of returning back to life.

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the blademaster class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 in Dexterity or Strength.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the blademaster class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, Battleaxe, Glaive, Greatsword, Halberd, Lance, Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword

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