Bladesinger

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Damien

Author's Note

The bladesinger is easily my favorite class/prestige class in all of D&D, with a few very close runners for second place. The only problem I saw with the D&D Bladesinger was that it used magic. If you're anything like me, you're tired of everyone and everything being able to use some form of magic (which I for one, drastically cut down on in my campaigns).

This version of the bladesinger can still be used with the bladesinger prestige class found in Tome and Blood (more specifically, the Wizards.com web enhancement for the Tome and Blood Bladesinger). In my campaign, the magic-using bladesinger is an elite guardian of the Towers of High Sorcery, thus they can use magic. Whereas my version presented here is the basic bladesinger found in Silvanost.

General Information

Bladesingers are Elves who have blended intricate Elven ballet and dance techniques with master swordsmanship. The movements of a bladesinger are incredibly beautiful to behold, but that beauty masks the fact that the bladesinger is a deadly and efficient killer, trained to dispose of enemies as cleanly and quickly as possible. Bladesingers are trained exclusively in Silvanost as part of an elite force reserved only for protection of Silvanost or for flash attacks against invading enemies. Bladesingers command the utmost respect in all Elven communities, even the Knights of Solamnia are known to awe at the purity of technique the bladesinger displays. The training of a bladesinger is known to last a full 3 decades in some instances. All bladesingers worship Kiri-Jolith, Paladine, Mishakal and Habbakuk as well as paying respect to Solinari. But above all they pay the most respect to Kiri-Jolith, as he is the patron of the bladesingers and the just god of battle.

Elven fighters are the most likely to become bladesingers, though rangers and bards are not uncommon.

NPC bladesingers are usually those who are directly beneath the Speaker of the Stars as military advisors or guards. They also function as guardians of Silvanesti as a whole.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become a bladesinger, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Must be a Silvanesti Elf, Qualinesti Elf (with close affiliation to Silvanost's royal court) or a half-Elf of Silvanesti blood.
Alignment: Lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Martial Weapon Proficiency (longsword), Quick Draw, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Focus (longsword), Spring Attack
Balance: 3 ranks
Knowledge (nobility and royalty): 4 ranks each
Perform: 4 ranks
Tumble: 5 ranks

Class Skills

The bladesinger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Perform (Cha), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Bladesinger.

Weapon and Armour proficiency: The bladesinger gains proficiency in the use of no weapons and with light armour. If the bladesinger wears medium or heavy armour, he loses all special abilities associated with his class. However, bladesingers are considered proficient with the use of any armour that has (magically or not) the encumbrance and weight of a form of light armour.

Weapon Restriction: Bladesingers can only use the longsword to begin with and suffer a -6 penalty to attack rolls (-4 for non-proficiency, and -2 for class restriction) if wielding any weapon besides a longsword.

Student: At 1st level, the bladesinger becomes officially a bladesinger in training. Due to the level of respect owed to the bladesingers, the bladesinger gains a +3 circumstance bonus to any Diplomacy checks while dealing with other Elves.

Dance of the Blade: At 2nd level, the bladesinger gains the ability to perform the Dance of the Blade. When performing a full attack action, the bladesinger can give up his regular attacks and instead make one melee attack at his full base attack bonus against each opponent within 5 feet. This is identical to the Whirlwind Attack Feat in the Player's Handbook. The bladesinger can perform the Dance of the Blade once per day.

Blade Mastery: At 4th level, the bladesinger is no longer limited strictly to the use of the longsword and may begin taking proficiency in other types of swords from the following list: scimitar, shortsword, bastard sword. If you're also including the weapons I've created myself, then the bladesinger may also take proficiency in the elven war sword. With Blade Mastery, the bladesinger no longer suffers any extra penalties when fighting with a sword that is not a longsword, however he will still suffer a -4 penalty to his attack rolls if fighting with a weapon he has not gained proficiency in. Upon achieving Blade Mastery, the bladesinger is no longer simply a student of the ways of the blade, but is now considered a full-fledged bladesinger.

Unmatched Grace: At 5th level, the bladesinger gains a natural +1 AC bonus that counts as part of his Dexterity bonus to AC. Also, the bladesinger can now wield two weapons of equal size (two shortswords, two longswords, two scimitars, etc) at the same time, provided they are both single-handed weapons. The bladesinger suffers standard penalties for fighting with two weapons as if he had the Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting Feats.

Bladesong: At 6th level, the bladesinger can perform the famed Bladesong. With this ability he can attack any (and all) enemies within a 15 foot radius at his full base attack bonus (melee only) without provoking an attack of opportunity. Any attack he makes after the 4th enemy suffers a -2 penalty to his attack roll. The penalty is not cumulative and thus, remains -2 for any enemies after the fourth. The Bladesong can be performed once per day.

Unearthly Grace: At 7th level, the bladesinger gains the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting and Weapon Finesse (longsword) feats.

Master Bladesinger: At 9th level, the bladesinger becomes a Master Bladesinger. At this point he can use any melee weapons at only a -2 penalty to attack rolls if he is not proficient with that weapon. The bladesinger now may choose one weapon (must be a sword that the bladesinger has proficiency in) and he will gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Inspiring Presence: During any combat situation, the bladesinger now grants a +1 morale bonus, which they can apply to either their AC as a Dexterity bonus or to their attack rolls as a Strength bonus. The effects of Inspiring Presence only last for 2 rounds and may be used once per day. Typically this is triggered when the bladesinger engages in the Bladesong, which often inspires and heartens his companions.

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