The Blademaster

Blademasters use stances and combos to control the battlefield. Build up your combo points through repeated flourishes and then release deadly finishers upon your foes.

Introduction

The man appears to dance through the battlefield, each strike leading into the next, climaxing in brillant decapitations and vital point blows. The warrior's 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.

Quick Build

You can make a blademaster quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution or Wisdom. 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

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

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light armor, Medium armor
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, Battleaxe, Glaive, Greatsword, Halberd, Lance, Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose two 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:

• Any martial weapon
• (a) Scale Mail or (b) leather armor
• (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Combo Points

Starting at 1st level, you learn to fluidly connect your attacks. Each melee attack you make generates a combo point. You may have a maximum of 3+ your blademaster 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.

Cadences

Starting at 1st level, Every time you make an attack, you may add the effects of a cadence to the attack. You learn these basic cadences to include in your combo. Each cadence 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.

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

Openers

Level Learned	Name	Description
1st	Battojutsu	You gain 2 combo points instead of one.
1st	Parry	You gain +1 to AC until the start of your next turn.
6th	Pirouette	You gain Advantage on saving throws until the start of your next turn.
13th	Shunpo	Teleport 10 feet in any direction before or after you make this attack.
13th	Air Sickle	This attack has a range of 60/120 feet.

Flourishes

Level Learned	Name	Description
1st	Mutilate	You gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll.
6th	Hamstring	If this attack hits, target’s speed is reduced by 10ft until the start of your next turn.
6th	Cleave	You deal damage to an enemy adjacent to the target equal to the attack's ability score modifier.
6th	Kick	If this attack hits and the target of this attack was concentrating on a spell, the target rolls the saving throw to maintain concentration with disadvantage and a minimum DC of your cadence saving throw instead of 10.
13th	Half-sword	The target has disadvantage on the next weapon attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.

Finishers

Level Learned	Name	Combo Points Required	Description
1st	Precision Strike	3	You gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll for each combo point you have.
1st	Rupture	3	You gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll for each combo point you have.
6th	Pommel Strike	10	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.
13th	Deliberate Strike	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.
13th	Eviscerate	10	If this attack hits, it becomes a critical hit. Add a +2 bonus to the damage roll for each combo point you have over 10. If the attack was already a critical hit, the attack deals maximum damage.

Stance

Starting at 2nd level, you may use a bonus action to enter a stance or shift stances. 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.

Bladesmanship

Starting at 2nd level, while wielding one melee weapon that 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. Do not add your ability score modifier to the damage roll of this attack. Heavy weapons deal half damage for this attack.
• You may add a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.

Blade's Path

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 Mithral, 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.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th, 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.

Extra Attack

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

Wise to the world

Beginning at 6th level, you start to apply the wisdom gleamed from your meditations and training to your interactions with the world around you. When making a nature, religion, deception, or persuasion skill check, you may use your Wisdom ability score modifier instead of your Intelligence or Charisma ability score modifiers.

Advanced Stances

At 7th level, you master 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.

Discipline and Flow

At 10th level, your discipline and fluidity on the battlefield crosses over into everything you do. You cannot be charmed or frightened. You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.

Footwork Stances

At 11th level, you learn stances that enable you to move and respond faster. Additionally, when you become the target of an attack or a spell, you may use your reaction to shift stances.

• Hummingbird Stance: While in this stance, you may make an additional attack as part of your attack action. (3 total)
• War Horse Stance: While in this stance, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. Additionally, you may take the Dash action as a bonus action.
• Elephant Stance: While in this stance, you can not be moved against your will.

Bottled Aggression

Starting at 13th level, while making a Strength or Dexterity based skill check, you may spend combo points to give yourself a +2 bonus to the roll per combo point spent. You may spend combo points after you make the roll but before you find out / determine the result.

Rapid Strike

Starting at 15th level, you learn to trade accuracy for swift strikes. If you take the Attack action on your turn and have advantage on an attack roll against one of the targets, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional weapon attack against that target, as part of the same action. You can do so no more than once per turn.

Hybrid Stance

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.

Unlimited Combo

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.

Blade's Path

Path of Adamantine

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 sure up your defense. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a +4 bonus to AC and saving throws and critical hits turn to regular hits. You also gain 2 combo points.

Mind Over Matter

At 9th level, your mind has begun to unlock your body's true potential. Add your wisdom modifier to your strength for determining your maximum carry weight and any Athletics check you make.

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.

Adamantine 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 regular cadences, you must take an action to use this finisher. Once you use this finisher, you may not use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Adamantine 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 force damage and is knocked back 20 feet. On a successful save, a target takes half damage and is knocked back 10 feet.

Path of Mithral

Swift Footed

At 3rd level, while in Road Runner stance, Crane stance, or Hummingbird stance you have an additional +1 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 2 combo points regardless of how many attacks you made.

Light as a Feather

At 9th level, you learn how to move your body in ways to seemingly defy gravity to make you lighter. You do not set off traps such as snares or pressure plates and you may add your Wisdom modifier to any stealth check you make.

Flash Step

At 14th level, while in Road Runner stance, Crane Stance, or Hummingbird stance, you may use Shunpo as a finisher with a 5 combo point minimum requirement. If shunpo is used as a finisher in this way, instead it consuming all of your combo points, it only consumes 5.

Double 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.

• Double Strike: Finisher 6, you may make an additional attack as part of this attack action. You make this attack regardless of whether this finisher hits or not and you may choose a valid cadence to augment this attack.

Path of Iron

Claw Footed

At 3rd level, when you are in Panther stance, Wolf stance, or War Horse 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 +1 to the attack and damage roll.

Piercing Strike

At 9th level, you may use an action to make a melee weapon attack against one target within your range. You may use cadences 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 4d8. You gain an additional combo point when you make this attack.

Iron Lungs and Fingers

At 9th level, your natural athleticism has been trained to a peak. Swimming and climbing no longer cost you extra movement.

Critical Finishers

At 14th level, when you use a finisher in Panther stance, Wolf stance or War Horse stance, 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.

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 War Horse Stance in order to use this finisher. Unlike regular cadences, you must take an action to use this finisher. Once you use this finisher, you may not use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Crescent Moon Claw: Finisher 20, your blade extends and swipes every enemy within 15 feet of you. Make an attack using the weapons normal modifiers for attack and damage rolls but its base damage dice are replaced with 8d10 and it deals radiant damage.