Modern Swordsman

Action Points
“Fear the blade.”
The Swordmaster gains a number of action points
equal to 6 + one-half his level, rounded down, every
From the European arts of fencing to the Asian
time he attains a new level in this class.
discipline of kenjutsu, the use of swords in combat has
been codified and romanticized for centuries in nearly
Class Skills
every culture in the world. Even in the modern day,
The Swordmaster’s class skills are as follows.
when guns have supplanted melee weapons almost
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration
everywhere, the sword is viewed as a symbol of
(Con), Craft (mechanical) (Int), Intimidate
what a weapon should be. The first object
(Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history,
designed solely to kill other human
popular culture) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis),
beings, and a signifier of honor across
Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex).
cultural lines, the sword represents
deadly intent better than perhaps any
Skill Points at Each Level: 3 +
other weapon in history.
Intelligence modifier
The Swordmaster has dedicated
Weapon Specialization
himself to reviving the lost art
At 1st level, the Swordmaster
of the blade, at least in his
gains weapon specialization
own hands. At
with a sword with which he
a range of less
has Weapon Focus. This
than four feet,
ability grants him
a Swordmaster
a +2 bonus on
is deadlier
damage rolls made
than humanly
with that type of
imaginable, a veritable killing
sword.
machine. One on one, the
Swordmaster’s power is
Blade Expert
even more undeniable.
The Swordmaster is
an expert in avoiding
The fastest path into
unusual forms of attack
this class is from the
and in taking advantage of
Strong hero base class,
fleeting openings. Starting
at 2nd level, the Swordmaster
Requirements
gets a +2 bonus on rolls to
Base Attack Bonus: +3
avoid being disarmed and on
Feats: Archaic Weapons
attacks of opportunity. This benefit
Proficiency, Quick
applies only when the Swordmaster
Draw, Weapon Focus
is armed with a sword in which he
(any sword)
has weapon specialization.
Skills:
Concentration 2 ranks,
At 5th level, this bonus
Intimidate 4 ranks
increases to +4, and at 8th level
it increases to +6.
Class Information
Bonus Feats
Hit Die
The Swordmaster gains 1d8 hit points per level. The At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Swordmaster gets a
character’s Constitution modifier applies bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the
following list, and the Swordmaster must meet all the Blade of Fury
prerequisites of the feat to select it.
At 10th-level, the Swordmaster has become an
Agile Riposte, Alertness, Armor Proficiency (Light), engine of destruction, a power unto himself. While
Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, making a full attack action with a sword in which he
Frightful Presence, Great Cleave, Improved Disarm, has weapon specialization, the Swordmaster gains
Improved Initiative, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring a single additional attack at his highest base attack
Attack, Sunder, Whirlwind Attack. bonus. This includes while making any sort of special
attack as a full attack action. (So, a Swordmaster with
Slashing Blades the Whirlwind Attack feat could make a single attack
at all foes within reach as a full attack action, then
Beginning at 3rd level, the Swordmaster can tap make a single additional attack at any one foe, for
into a well of inner strength to gain incredible killing example.)
power with a blade. The character may now spend 1
action point to increase the damage he deals with a Additionally, when the
single sword attack. The Swordmaster declares the use Swordmaster spends an action
of this ability after making a successful attack with point to increase his damage for a
a sword in which he has weapon specialization. The sword attack, the result of the
result of the action point roll is added to the damage action point roll is added
roll for that attack. to all attacks he makes
that round with a sword
in which he has weapon
Additionally, the Swordmaster is considered to be specialization.
an expert in his field when it comes to swords. The
character gains a bonus equal to his Reputation bonus
on skill checks directly related to swords, such as a
Knowledge check made to discover information about
a particular sword or an Intimidate check made while
brandishing a sword at a foe.

Critical Attack

The 7th-level Swordmaster can easily dispatch foes

with a well-placed and deadly strike to vital organs.
While wielding a sword with which the character has
weapon specialization, the Swordmaster increases
his critical threat range by 1. (So, if the character’s
specialized weapon normally had a threat range of
19-20, this ability would increase it to 18-20, for
example.)
The Swordmaster
Level Base Fortitude Reflex Will Defense
Reputation
Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Weapon specialization +1 +0
2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Blade expert +2 +2 +0
3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Bonus feat +2 +1
4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Slashing blades +3 +1
5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Blade expert +4 +4 +1
6 +6 +5 +2 +2 Bonus feat +4 +2
7 +7 +5 +2 +2 Critical attack +5 +2
8 +8 +6 +2 +2 Blade expert +6 +6 +2
9 +9 +6 +3 +3 Bonus feat +6 +3
10 +10 +7 +3 +3 Blade of fury +7 +3
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles
Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins,
and JD Wiker.

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