Master of the Longsword
The Master of the Longsword is the consumate master of arms. Unlike the Fighter, who is a generalist in the arts of war, the Master of the Longsword focuses on a specific school of combat centered around the two-handed sword, polearm, and dagger. His combat style is quick and direct, focusing on accuracy and skill over raw power, enabling him to wield even greatswords and halberds with deftness and subtlety. He eschews the shield or an off-hand weapon, and relies on his skills for defense. Additionally, his training allows him to counter heavy armor by exploiting the gaps and joints between the plates, and striking at the body beneath.
Hit Dice: D8
BAB: High
Weapons: Simple, Martial
Armor: Light, Medium
High: Reflex
Low: Fort
Skill Points: 5
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft Weapon, Intimidate, Lore, Parry, Spot, Taunt, Tumble
Note: This class does NOT qualify as Fighter levels for Feat purposes
Level 1 Weapons of Choice
Level 2 Weapon Synergy I
Level 3 Bonus Feat
Level 4 Feint
Level 5 Measured Blows I
Level 6 Disarm
Level 7 Skillfull Defense
Level 8 Bonus Feat
Level 9 One With The Blade
Level 10 Scholar of Arms
Level 11 Harness Fighting I
Level 12 Disabling Blow
Level 13 Vor
Level 14 Wrestling at Sword I
Level 15 Multifighting I
Level 16 Coup-de-Gras I
Level 17 Weapon Synergy II
Level 18 Harness Fighting II
Level 19 Wrestling at Sword II
Level 20 Provost of Arms
Level 21 Nach
Level 22 Coup-de-Gras II
Level 23 Aggressive Defender
Level 24 Chink in the Armor
Level 25 Master's Defense
Level 26 Measured Blows II
Level 27 Harness Fighting III
Level 28 Multifighting II
Level 29 Weapon Synergy III
Level 30 Master of Arms
Feat Descriptions
Weapons of Choice: At Level 1 the Master of the Longsword receives Weapons of Choice applying to two-handed swords, (any sword or sword-like weapon wielded in two hands, including longswords, falchions, scimitars, etc.) polearms, and daggers.
Weapon Synergy: At Level 2 the Master of the Longsword may wield any sword or sword-like weapon (IE bastard sword and katana) and polearm, even if he lacks the proficiency feat for it as long as he does so two-handed. At Level 17, he has undertaken sufficient study that he has discovered the similarities in how his weapons are wielded, and may apply any bonuses from Weapon Focus, Power Critical, or Improved Critical feats to all of his Weapons of Choice (note: taking feats in more than one qualifying weapon does not stack). At Level 29, he may apply 1/2 his AB bonus from these feats to any melee weapon he is has proficiency for, however bonuses for AC, Power Critical, etc. do NOT apply outside his Weapons of Choice.
Bonus Feat: At Levels 3 and 8 the Master of the Longsword receives a bonus feat.
Feint: At Level 4 the Master of the Longsword receives the Feint feat for free, even if he doesn't meet the requirements.
Measured Blows: At Level 5, he gains the ability to focus on making precise attacks. By tightening up his movements and making smaller, quicker strikes he gains +3 AB at the expense of -3 Damage. At Level 26 he gains an extra attack per round for every 10 ranks of Concentration when fighting in this mode.
Disarm: At Level 6 the Master of the Longsword receives the Disarm feat for free, even if he doesn't meet the requirements.
Skillful Defense: At Level 7, the Master of the Longsword has learned to defend himself with his weapons as if they were a shield in melee combat. He gains +1 AC (Shield) for every 10 ranks of Parry when fighting in Measured Blows. This bonus increases to +2 per 10 ranks if he takes the Improved Parry feat. This only applies against melee weapons.
One With The Blade: At Level 9 the Master of the Longsword has achieved sufficient mastery with his weapons they have effectively become an extension of his body. He may therefore use his DEX for calculating AB when wielding any of his Weapons of Choice, even if the weapon would ordinarily not qualify for Weapon Finesse.
Student of Arms: The Master of the Longsword's knowledge of weapons lends him an intuitive grasp of their inherent properties, granting him bonuses in his skill at wielding his Weapons of Choice. At levels 10, 20, and 30 the Master of the Longsword gains 1 point to AB for every 10 ranks of Craft Weapon. The bonus per 10 ranks is +1 at Level 10, +2 at Level 20, and +3 at Level 30.
Harness Fighting : Beginning at Level 11, the Master of the Longsword may wear Full or Half-Plate as if it were Medium Armor. In addition, at Levels 18 and 27 the Armor Check penalty is reduced by 1, and his Maximum Dex bonus to AC is increased by 1 up to a maximum of 2. If he takes the Mobility feat these bonuses are doubled. This applies only when wearing Full or Half-Plate armor, and does stack with Mithral armor.
Disabling Blow: At Level 12 he may, as a full round action, make an attack that cripples his opponent and reduces their AB, Damage, and movement speed for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 the Master of the Longsword's level. A successful Fort save reduces this by 1/2. This attack requires a concentration check.
Vor: The Master of the Longsword's unrelenting assault when he has the initiative keeps his opponent off-balance and forces them to react to him. As a result, When the Master of the Longsword has the Initiative, the DC for Concentration Checks for any spells and abilities used by the opponent when engaged in melee combat are increased by 1/2 the Master's level. Additionally, once per five rounds the opponent must make a successful Concentration Check against the Master of the Longsword's full AB, or lose half his attacks per round. This advantage is lost if the Master of the Longsword is Knocked Down or suffers a mental status effect (Dazed, Stunned, Etc.).
Wrestling at Sword: At Level 14 the Master of the Longsword may attempt to enter grappling range with the opponent, and makes a check at his full BAB against his target's AC. If successful, his opponent is thrown to the ground, and he delivers an attack at max damage. At Level 19 if he is Knocked Down by an opponent, a successful Tumble check negates the knockdown.
Multifighting: The Master of the Longsword has learned to divide his attention between multiple targets simultaneously. At Level 15 When fighting in Measured Blows he will divide his attacks per round to all targets within melee range. For example, if he has six attacks per round, and is fighting two opponents, he will execute three attacks against each opponent. If a third opponent enters the fight, he will make two attacks against each opponent. This continues until he has more enemies than attacks (IE at six attacks per round, but fighting seven opponents in melee range, he will attack six opponents once, while the seventh goes unengaged). At Level 28, opponents no longer gain their AB bonus against him when flanking him.
Coup-de-Gras: At Level 16 the attack delivered by Wrestling at Arms is upgraded to an automatic Critical with a modifier of X2. At Level 22 this is upgraded even further by granting +1 to the Critical Multiplier. If the Master of the Longsword has a dagger in his inventory the Critical Multiplier during a Coup-de-Gras increases by a further +1 at both levels.
Nach: The Master of the Longsword executes an attack which enables him to take control of the fight. At Level 21, as a Full Round Action, the Master of the Longsword makes an attack at his full BAB. If the attack is successful, the Master of the Longsword gains Initiative over that target for the duration of the fight, and Vor (see above) will apply as if he had Initiative from the beginning.
Aggressive Defender: At Level 23 the Master of the Longsword is constantly moving his weapon, ready to intercept any incoming blow even when he's attacking. Whenever using Measured Blows, he will automatically attempt to Parry attacks that beat his AC. He doesn't receive a Riposte attack, but can still attack as normal.
Chink in the Armor: At Level 24 the Master of the Longsword has learned to spot and target the weaknesses in his opponent's armor. Whenever fighting in Measured Blows, he gains an additional +1 AB against opponents wearing Full or Half-Plate armor for every 10 ranks of Spot.
Master's Defense: At Level 25, the Master of the Longsword may add his weapon's Enhancement Bonus as AC (Shield). This bonus stacks with his bonus for Skillfull Defense, and only applies against melee attacks.
