Zaratorn Extra Sheet
Zaratorn was born to the Wryllenic Elves, in the Summer Court during its long exile. He never knew his parents' identities, as children are raised collectively amongst the fey. Perhaps for this reason, he developed an interest in his elven and fey ancestors, exploring the shrines and grottos where their souls are said to rest. One day an Elder explained to him that not all bodies are recovered, not all spirits return. Those that die in battle remain there, bound to their weapons, until their descendants find them and bring them home. From that point on, Zaratorn felt that he could hear the spirits of his ancestors calling to him from weapons of all kinds. He answered the call by learning to defend his people, and quickly became the very paragon of elven warriors. Though he was respected and well-liked, he preferred to practice his martial arts in the shrines and grottos alone.
Some years later, he was called yet again to retake the Wryllenic Realms from the demons that had burned her forests for a millennia. He trained harder than ever before, and fought bravely to save his allies from harm. In one particularly difficult battle, he found himself in an ancient spring. Disarmed and defenseless, he scoured the waterbed for anything he could find. Then he saw it: a quiver of arrows, made of living wood and vines, half-buried in the sand. Taking up the quiver, he drew an arrow and stabbed it into the first demonspawn that charged him. As he made to draw another arrow, he was surprised to find that he held a bow instead. Without stopping to think, he let loose a series of precise shots that help turn the tide of the battle. Recognized for his valor and skill, he was bestowed the title of Prince at the end of the war, and given a small holding within his ancestral homeland.
But the peace was not to last. Demons were not the only occupiers: human rypsies claimed the grasslands of Wryllen's roots as their home for centuries, calling themselves Grasvara. Other communities of lesser races plagued the other Courts as well, and that's before word spread that the demons had been defeated. Soon, everyone from Daulo barbarians and Ohmani necromancers had invaded the realms. In the battle of the Thrice-Forged Knot, Zaratorn found himself fighting on multiple fronts, before ultimately being surrounded. He was taken captive by the mysterious Ohmani, who he assumed would murder him and his people before raising them as undead soldiers in their army. To his surprise, he was treated well and, as a Prince of the Summer Court, given special privileges befitting his station. In conversations with the Ohmani leadership, he learned that they had only come to protect the Grasvarans, whom they considered long lost kin, and return them to their homeland. His captors had struck a deal to exchange him for a number of Grasvaran prisoners, but he decided it would be safer to escape.
Word had reached his ears that his brethren were preparing to attack the ship and free him from his bonds. When the day came, he was being treated to breakfast with Marko Doriavo. Feldahneighgan, the Summer Knight was the first to board the vessel and discover Zaratorn. Surprised at his treatment, he commanded the others to wait. Then, without a word, he took up his sword as if to slay his Prince. Marko narrowly raised his shield in time to deflect the blow, and cast his net onto the Summer Knight. With only a few moments to spare, he handed Zaratorn his magic quiver, allowing him to draw his weapons to defend himself. Feldahneighgan quickly recovered and lept out to strike at Zaratorn once more. In the melee, he explained that he had always been jealous of his skill and the respect he had earned, and so he sought to put an end to him. Zaratorn responded with steel, parrying his blows without being distracted by his words. Just as it seemed that he had won the duel, the Summer Knight lashed out with one last stinging message. The elves had already decided to betray the Ohmani during the prisoner exchange, and were willing to sacrifice their Prince in the process. Feldahneighgan promised the court that he would save Zaratorn if he could, but in fact he had already planted rumors that Zaratorn had betrayed his people by giving secrets to the Ohmani. Realizing that his brethren were watching the battle from afar, and that it did indeed look as though he was already allied with the Ohmani against his kin, Zaratorn decided that he couldn't kill Feldahneighgan, no matter how much he wanted to.
And so, Zaratorn spared his rival and allowed his warriors to leave. That day, he swore an oath of vengeance against his him, and pledged his loyalty to Marko Doriavo, for saving his life. As time went on, he grew to respect Marko and the newly created House Grasvara for their loyalty, valor, and virtue. He also learned that he was not truly alone, as his act of mercy had awakened the spirit in his magic quiver, which he soon recognized as the Baldric Briar, a legendary weapon from ancient times. Now living in exile, Zaratorn feels most at home amongst the Grasvarans, who grew up in the grace of Wryllen, and seeks to survive however he can.
(The above is just a suggested story for your character. Feel free to change it. The story answers some of the following questions, but not all, so let me know how you would answer.)
Questions to answer:
Your character is over a hundred years old, but only considered a young adult by the elves. How would you describe his appearance?
Your character knows a number of martial traditions, including the dedicated duelist tradition and several unusual disciplines, such as Devoted Spirit, Mithral Current, Piercing Thunder, and Solar Wind. How did you learn these martial traditions? On your own or from a master?
Your character controls the Baldric Briar (see here), a rare legendary weapon from ancient times. How did you come into possession of the weapon? How did you satisfy its least legacy ritual (of granting mercy to a defeated foe)?
Your character has the Faerie Mysteries Initiate feat, hinting that he may have a romantic partner amongst the elves. Who is this person and how would you describe your relationship?
Is your character religious? Do they worship a deity, an abstract ideal, or some other philosophy? Do they have a personal code of conduct?
Does your character have a reputation? Are they infamous, famous, or generally unknown?
You are now working for the Ohmani, as you owe a life debt to Marko Doriavo. Why do you owe this debt? And how did you come to work for the Ohmani?
Is your character considered to be a Resident, Denizen, or Citizen by the Ohmani?
Generally, characters rest to recover their spells and daily abilities.
You can use downtime to rest and recover. It is assumed that you spend 8 hours resting at night, which allows you to recover 1 hp per level per day and 1 point of ability damage for each affected ability score. If you spend a full day of downtime resting in bed, you recover another 1 hp per level per day and another 1 point of ability damage for each affected ability score.
In your case, you have few abilities that require a full night's rest to reactivate. Most only require a short rest of 5 mins or so. This makes you a better all-day combatant, as well as a rare multi-day combatant. When you need to customize a new weapon, that does take 8 hours of modification, drilling, and practice. This includes reworking scabbards, modifying grips, adding hooks and straps, and other tweaks to suit your personal fighting style. Each morning, you'd make sure to spend at least 10 minutes in meditation or prayer and 5 minutes exercising to ready your maneuvers and focus yourself for the day. If you spend an additional hour in weapon practice, you may change the designated weapon for any feat you have that applies to only one weapon (such as Weapon Focus), although any feat that would apply to your main-hand weapon also applies to your off-hand weapon without extra effort.
Armiger's Mark: 6 uses per day
Parry: 5 attempts per round
Attacks of opportunity: 6 attempts per round
You detect magical auras. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of magical auras.
2nd Round: Number of different magical auras and the power of the most potent aura.
3rd Round: The strength and location of each aura. If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight, you can make Knowledge (arcana) skill checks to determine the school of magic involved in each. (Make one check per aura: DC 15 + spell level, or 15 + 1/2 caster level for a nonspell effect.) If the aura eminates from a magic item, you can attempt to identify its properties (see Spellcraft).
Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or strong local magical emanations may distort or conceal weaker auras.
Aura Strength: An aura's power depends on a spell's functioning spell level or an item's caster level; see the accompanying table. If an aura falls into more than one category, detect magic indicates the stronger of the two.
Lingering Aura: A magical aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a magic item). If detect magic is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
Original Strength - Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint - 1d6 rounds
Moderate - 1d6 minutes
Strong - 1d6 x 10 minutes
Overwhelming - 1d6 days
Outsiders and elementals are not magical in themselves, but if they are summoned, the conjuration spell registers. Each round, you can turn to detect magic in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Detect magic can be made permanent with a permanency spell.
At 1st level, the warder’s defensive prowess extends to those who choose to stay near to him. Allies who are within 10 ft. of the warder’s position gain a +1 morale bonus to Armor Class and to Will saves under the warder’s defensive aegis, her presence bolstering and shepherding the defenses of her allies. This bonus improves to +2 at 5th level (+3 at 9th level, +4 at 13th level, and +5 at 17th level). The warder does not receive this bonus, but may receive the benefits of this ability from another warder. If the ally cannot see or hear the warder, then the ally does not gain the benefits of this ability (such as if the warder is concealed or invisible).
At 6th level, her aegis’ range increases its effective area, growing to a 20 ft. radius. At 12th level, this increases again to 30 ft.
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to react to danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. You retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if you are caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, you still lose your Dexterity bonus to AC if you are immobilized. If you already have uncanny dodge from a different class (barbarian or rogue, for example), you automatically gain improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
You were reported to a dangerous authority such as the Wryllenic Courts and narrowly escaped death. You second-guess your instincts constantly, leaving you never sure whether or not to trust someone and endangered if you encounter that group’s agents again. You can roll twice and take the lower result on Sense Motive checks to get hunches. You cannot reroll this result, even if you have another ability that would normally allow you to do so.
You were raised with the belief that your family was special, and that those of your status always succeed at whatever they do. Due to your concern about upholding the family name and your memories of the consequences for disappointing them (such as violence or unsettling disapproval), you are easily frustrated. When you fail at a skill check, you take a -2 penalty on checks with that skill until you succeed or until you fail at a different skill check, whichever comes first.
The fates watch over you. Whenever you are under the effect of a luck bonus of any kind, that bonus increases by 1.
You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls when threatened by two or more enemies.
Tales of the Ohmani have inspired you to lash out reflexively against the undead. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls when making attacks of opportunity against undead. While you wield a shield, your shield bonus to AC improves by 1 against attacks of opportunity made by undead.
You only suffer a –1 penalty per full range increment between you and your target when using a ranged weapon. Associated Feat: Far Shot.
When performing a charge, you only suffer a -1 penalty to your AC rather than -2.
When you have martial focus, you can expend your focus as part of any single Fortitude or Reflex saving throw you make thereafter. When you expend your focus in this manner, your saving throw is treated as if you rolled a 13, similarly to taking 10 on a skill check, except that the number you add to your saving throw is 13. You can also expend your martial focus to gain the benefit of certain combat talents and class features, as described in their entry, while other talents and abilities may require you to currently have martial focus.
You may change your currently active customized weapons (and associated talents) as part of drawing or recovering a weapon.
You may draw your customized weapons as a free action instead of a move action. Drawing hidden weapons requires a move action. Once per round, you can stow your weapons as a free action as well instead of as a move action.
Amongst other benefits, this allows you to throw weapons at your full normal rate of attacks, similar to firing arrows with a bow.
At 2nd level, a warder is trained in how best to control her enemies and how they behave in battle, urging them to throw their all against the warder’s indomitable armor and unyielding shield. With a sharp blade, a clever taunt, or something that otherwise attracts her foe, the warder can direct the attention of enemies towards himself.
Whenever the warder attacks a foe in combat and inflict at least 1 point of damage, as a free action she may mark them as her foe (he may even mark a foe during an attack of opportunity and may make the free action to do so, even though it is not her turn) and attempt to continue to force them to engage the warder only. The target is aware of being marked, and the mark remains for a number of rounds equal to the warder’s Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). Marked targets suffer a -4 penalty to attack rolls against foes that are not the warder, and arcane spellcasters suffer an increase in arcane spell failure of 10% + 1% per two warder levels until the mark expires. The warder may only maintain a number of marks equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier at a time, and she may make a number of marks per day equal to ½ warder level + Intelligence modifier.
At 8th level, this penalty increases to -6, and it increases again to -8 at 16th level. This ability functions on creatures with an Intelligence score of 1 or more, allowing her to mark animals and other beasts as well as sentient beings, but not mindless creatures such as skeletons. Multiple armiger’s marks overlap (do not stack).
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the dodge bonus increases by +1. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects of this feat last until your next turn.
Once per round when you make an attack of opportunity, you can make an additional attack with your off-hand weapon.
Whenever you make an attack action or an attack of opportunity against a target that is within 30 ft. and that you are flanking, that is flat-footed, or that has lost its Dexterity bonus to AC (such as through a successful feint), you deal an additional +1d6 precision damage to the target. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. This damage increases by an additional 1d6 precision damage for every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess.
A fencer may apply the effects of a single (exploit) talent to any fatal thrust.
A dervish defender is capable of an aggressive defense, attacking even as they defend. At 4th level, the dervish defender may use a counter against an enemy's attack and if she successfully counters it, she may make an immediate attack of opportunity against that foe. This replaces the tactical acumen class feature.
At 2nd level, the fracture’s ability to perceive openings and react to opponents on the battlefield is enhanced to an extraordinary degree. The fracture increases the number of attacks of opportunity he can make in a round by 1, plus an additional 1 at 5th level and every three levels thereafter. In addition, whenever the fracture makes a saving throw, he may expend an attack of opportunity to reroll the result; he must choose to use this ability before he knows the result of the saving throw, and must accept the result even if it is worse than his original roll.
This replaces the bonus feat normally gained at 2nd level.
Alter a melee attack roll to hit your character has been made, but before damage is assigned, you may attempt to parry the blow.
You may only attempt to parry an attack against a weapon up to two size categories larger than the one you wield. Natural attacks are considered to be weapon two size categories smaller than the creature's size. You cannot parry an attack when unarmed, when wearing medium or heavy armor, or when you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC. Attempting a parry uses up an attack of opportunity for the round. You may only make one parry attempt a round.
To parry, you must make a melee attack roll in an attempt to surpass the attack roll that you are trying to parry. When wielding a light weapon, you gain a +4 bonus to your parry roll. If you succeed, the attack fails and deals no damage. If you fail, the attack deals damage normally. In either case, making a parry attempt gives your opponent the opportunity to make a disarm attempt against the weapon you are parrying with. Attempting to disarm you is a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and failure does not allow you to make a disarm attempt in return.
Improved Parry:
You may make a number of additional parry attempts in a round equal to your Dexterity bonus. Just as you cannot make multiple attacks of opportunity against the same creature in a round, you cannot attempt to parry multiple attacks made by a single creature in a round. Each parry attempt uses up an attack of opportunity granted by the Combat Reflexes feat.
Protective Parry:
When a creature that you threaten is attacked, you can use a parry attempt for the round to parry a blow that would hit that creature.
Normal: You may only attempt to parry attacks directed at you.
Special: if you have the Improved Parry feat, you may parry multiple attacks against allies within the area you threaten with your weapon, but you cannot protect any creature more than once per round. If you have the Expert Parry feat, you may parry multiple attacks that would hit the same creature, regardless of their source. In both cases parrying for another creature uses up a parry attempt and a possible attack of opportunity for the round.
Guarded Defense:
When you make a parry attempt, it does not provoke an automatic disarm attempt.
Source: Dragon Magazine #301
When a creature makes a melee attack against you, you may expend your martial focus and use an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. Make an attack roll as if you were making an attack of opportunity, but for each size category the attacking creature is larger than you, you take a –2 penalty on this roll. If your result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses and you regain your martial focus. If your base attack bonus is +5 or greater, you may choose to make a single melee attack against a creature whose attack you have successfully parried instead of regaining your martial focus.
When an ally within the area of your patrol makes an attack, is targeted by an attack, or attempts a saving throw, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and use the aid another action to improve that ally’s attack roll, AC, or saving throw as appropriate to the triggering action. Associated Feat: Bodyguard.
At 3rd level, while using her active weapon, whenever the armiger succeeds on a combat maneuver, confirms a critical hit, or reduces a foe to 0 or fewer hit points, she may regain martial focus by activating a different customized weapon as an immediate action, stowing the current weapon and drawing the new one as needed.
Once per day you can gain one of the following effects as an immediate action: You can increase the reach of your melee attacks by 5 feet for 1 round, or you can treat your weapon as one size category larger than it actually is for purposes of determining damage for 1 round.
Discipline: Solar Wind (Counter)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal,Weapon's first range increment
Target: You or ally
Duration: Instant
Sometimes a good offense can be used as a good defense, so the Solar Wind discipline learns, as he shoots projectiles out of the air by his sheer skill. The character makes an opposed attack roll against his foe's attack roll on an incoming ranged weapon attack (such as an arrow or thrown weapon, but not a spell or similar attack) targeting himself or an ally he can see within his weapon's first range increment; if successful then the attack is negated.
Discipline: Thrashing Dragon (Counter); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: One melee attack
Target: Personal
Duration: Instant
With a sudden, darting movement the Thrashing Dragon disciple may dodge an attack and protect himself from harm, if perfectly timed. The disciple opposes an enemy’s attack roll by making an Acrobatics check. If successful then he successfully evades the attack. If not, he is struck by the blow as normal.
Discipline: Piercing Thunder (Counter); Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant
You shift your weapon’s haft into a more defensible position, shielding you from assault. You can initiate this counter in response to a melee or ranged attack being made against you. Your shield bonus to your AC against that attack increases by +4 (if you have no shield bonus to AC, your shield bonus increases to +4).
Discipline: Thrashing Dragon (Counter); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: One melee attack
Target: Personal
Duration: Instant
With his athletic abilities and reflexes honed to a razor’s edge, the Thrashing Dragon disciple may incorporate reflexive evasions into his fighting dance at a moment’s notice to defend himself from danger. When making a Reflex save, the initiator may instead make an Acrobatics check in place of his Reflex saving throw bonus to determine his success.
Iron Heart (Counter)
Level: Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Your weapon sways back and forth in your hand, ready to block incoming blows. With the speed of a thunderbolt, you clash your weapon against your foe’s blade as he attempts to attack. Your weapon mastery transforms your blade into an extension of your arm, allowing you to wield it with the speed and timing needed to make a precise block. When an enemy makes a melee or ranged attack against you, you can initiate this counter to oppose that attack by making an attack roll with any melee weapon you are holding. Use the higher of your AC or your attack roll as your effective AC against the incoming attack. You can’t use this maneuver if you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC against your attacker. You can decide to use this ability after you learn the result of your opponent’s attack.
Diamond Mind (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 1, warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Your mental focus and martial study have rendered your will into an unbreakable iron wall. When someone targets you with a spell that seeks to erode your willpower, you steel yourself against the attack. Between your devoted study, iron will, and supreme focus, you have learned to resist attempts to subvert your willpower. When you feel such an effect try to cloud your mind, you can draw on untapped reserves of energy to counter the attempt. You can use this maneuver any time you would be required to make a Will save. Make a Concentration check instead of the Will save and use the result of that check to determine the save’s success. You must use this maneuver before you attempt the Will save. A result of a natural 1 on your Concentration check is not an automatic failure.
You can ready all three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below). You can recover all expended maneuvers with a single swift action, which must be immediately followed in the same round with a melee attack or using a standard action to do nothing else in the round (such as executing a quick, harmless flourish with your weapon). You cannot initiate a maneuver or change your stance while you are recovering your expended maneuvers, but you can remain in a stance in which you began your turn.
Discipline: Mithral Current (Stance); Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance
You have the ability to draw your weapon with blinding speed, channeling that motion into deadly attacks. While you maintain this stance, you are considered to be threatening all squares within reach of your weapon even if it is sheathed, and can draw your weapon when making any type of maneuver or attack (including attacks of opportunity), even while flat-footed. In addition, you gain the benefits of the Combat Reflexes feat, even if you do not meet the normal prerequisites. You use your initiation modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier when determining the number of additional attacks of opportunity you can make each round.
Discipline: Primal Fury (Stance); Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: One creature
Duration: Stance
By focusing his fury on the ending of his foes, the disciple forgoes finesse for devastating power. While in this stance, the initiator suffers a -2 penalty on his AC but any successful attack inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage. This damage bonus increases by 1d6 every eight initiator levels.
Devoted Spirit (Stance)
Level: Crusader 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
With a quick snarl and a glare that would stop a charging barbarian in his tracks, you spoil an opponent's attack. Rather than strike his original target, your enemy turns his attention towards you.
While you are in this stance, any opponent that you threaten takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls against your allies. This penalty does not apply to attacks made against you. Enemies you threaten become aware of the consequences of the stance.
The armiger may change one talent granted by a customized weapon with ten minutes of practice. The new talent must be a valid choice to be granted by that weapon. Once per day, she may use this ability as a move action.
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.
Characters gain their martial focus after a minute of rest, or by taking the total defense action. You may not by any means regain focus more than once per round.
Once you have gained martial focus, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance).
For a warder to recover expended maneuvers, she must take stock of her situation to plan for her next movement. By focusing entirely on a defensive position to prepare her next move, she is able to regain maneuvers expended to assist her to victory. By taking a full round action to plan her next move (activating her defensive focus class feature, see below), she recovers a number of expended maneuvers equal to her warder initiation modifier (minimum of 2). Alternately, she may take a brief pause in battle and recover a single maneuver of her choosing by spending a standard action on her turn.
As a standard action, you may choose an area with a 5-ft. radius. This area must be within your first range increment. You threaten this area until the beginning of your next turn, and may make attacks of opportunity using a ranged weapon that you are wielding against any creature in this area that provokes them. If the weapon uses ammunition, it must either be loaded or you must be able to load it as a free action and thrown weapons must be in hand or able to be drawn as a free action to make these attacks of opportunity. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, this radius increases by 5 ft.
Discipline: Primal Fury (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 attack action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One Creature
Duration: Instant
With the ferocity of a raging great cat, the disciple of Primal Fury provides the very real fear that users of this discipline are known to inspire with their reckless assault techniques of offense over all. The initiator makes a charge attack and makes a full attack at the end of the charge against the target creature. He must focus all of these attacks against a single target, and if the target is brought to 0 or fewer hit points, then remaining attacks are lost as the initiator savages the foe's body with the remaining attacks.
Discipline: Mithral Current (Strike); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant
With a sudden reversal of direction, you strike an enemy when they least expect it—at the instant after they’d already been hit. Make a melee attack. If it hits, it deals weapon damage as normal. If you drew your weapon as part of this strike, you can make a second attack against the same target with a –2 penalty on the attack roll.
Devoted Spirit (Strike)
Level: Crusader 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee Attack
Target: One creature
You batter aside your foes defenses with a vicious, overwhelming attack, leaving him a vulnerable to your allies' blows.
As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent you threaten. if this attack hits, all your allies gain a +4 bonus on ranged and melee attacks against that target until the start of your next turn.
Diamond Mind (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2, warblade 2
Prerequisite: One Diamond Mind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
You stare at your enemy, studying his every move. You mentally probe his defenses in search of a weakness. A lesser warrior could spent long minutes pondering this problem, but you see an opening and seize upon it in an instant. Your understanding of combat, your keenly honed mind, and your capability to read your opponents make you a deadly combatant. When you focus your mind, even the most elusive opponent becomes an easy target. As part of this maneuver, make a single melee attack against an opponent. This is a touch attack rather than a standard melee attack. If you hit, you deal normal melee damage.
Tiger Claw (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2, warblade 2Tiger Claw (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2, warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
You foam at the mouth and scream in rage as you make a powerful attack against your enemy. You set aside all thoughts of defense as you lunge forward. For a split-second, you unleash the barely controlled, primal rage that surges within you.
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. You gain a +4 bonus on this attack roll and deal an extra 2d6 points of damage. You take a –4 penalty to AC until the start of your next turn, as this wild strike sends you off balance and hinders your defenses.
As a special attack action, you may make an attack with a ranged weapon. You may add any one (snipe) talent you know to this attack.
In addition, you may expend your martial focus to increase the damage dealt by the attack by 1d10, or 1d6 if the attack targets touch AC or is made with a scatter weapon. You must choose whether or not to use this ability before making your attack roll. These extra damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, you deal an additional 1d10 damage, or an additional 1d6 if the attack targets touch AC or is made with a scatter weapon.
Some talents are marked (snipe). These talents add additional effects when you perform a deadly shot. You may only apply the effects of one (snipe) talent to each deadly shot.
When the awakener customizes a weapon, she also forms a connection to a spirit tied to the weapon. As a full-round action, the awakener may make this spirit manifest. The spirit acts as a Conjuration sphere companion with the martial companion companion archetype and a caster level equal to the awakener’s class level, though it may only gain martial talents from spheres from which the customized weapon grants talents. This effective caster level stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources. This spirit remains for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 awakener’s class level + her practitioner modifier (minimum 1 round). The awakener may only have one weapon spirit summoned at a time; summoning another dismisses any that are currently summoned. A weapon spirit always acts on the awakener’s turn. Once summoned this way, a weapon spirit cannot be summoned again for 1 hour.
The weapon spirit functions as normal for a Conjuration sphere companion with regards to being dismissed from damage, ongoing effects when not summoned, and other interactions.
A weapon spirit is always summoned wielding the weapon (or ammunition, pair of weapons, shield, or set of thrown weapons) that it was called from, removing the weapon from the awakener’s possession. If the customized weapon is an unarmed strike or other attack intrinsic to the awakener’s body, the customized weapon instead ceases to provide talents for the duration of the summons and the weapon spirit gains the ability to utilize the corresponding attack as the awakener does (including unarmed strike damage). When the weapon spirit is dismissed, if in the weapon spirit’s possession and within 35 ft. + 5 ft. per 2 class levels, the customized weapon returns to the awakener’s possession; otherwise it falls to the ground. A weapon spirit gains an additional (form) talent at level 3 and every 4 levels thereafter.
The awakener only receives two customized weapons at level 1, though still gains additional customized weapons at 11th and 19th levels.
For a warder to recover expended maneuvers, she must take stock of her situation to plan for her next movement. By focusing entirely on a defensive position to prepare her next move, she is able to regain maneuvers expended to assist her to victory. By taking a full round action to plan her next move (activating her defensive focus class feature, see below), she recovers a number of expended maneuvers equal to her warder initiation modifier (minimum of 2). Alternately, she may take a brief pause in battle and recover a single maneuver of her choosing by spending a standard action on her turn.
When recovering maneuvers as a full round action, the warder sets up a defensive perimeter around himself to defend his allies, increasing his threatened area by 5 ft. for every 5 initiator levels she possesses. Until the beginning of his next turn, he may make attacks of opportunity against any opponent in this threatened area that provokes attacks of opportunity. He may move as part of these attacks of opportunity, provided his total movement before his next turn does not exceed his speed (his movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal). Additionally, while using defensive focus, the warder adds his Intelligence modifier plus his class level to his CMD for the purposes of defending against enemies trying to use the Acrobatics skill to prevent him from getting attacks of opportunity against them.
As long as you have martial focus, as a full-round action you may increase your threatened area by 5 ft., +5 ft. for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This increased threatened area is applied after the effects of the reach weapon special feature. Until the beginning of your next turn, you may make attacks of opportunity against any creature in this threatened area that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may move to bring the creature that provokes the attack of opportunity within your reach as part of these attacks, provided your total movement before your next turn does not exceed your base speed. Any movement you make provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Associated Feat: Combat Patrol.
Talents with the (zone) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.
Characters gain their martial focus after a minute of rest, or by taking the total defense action. You may not by any means regain focus more than once per round.
Once you have gained martial focus, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance).
The armiger may change one talent granted by a customized weapon with ten minutes of practice. The new talent must be a valid choice to be granted by that weapon. Once per day, she may use this ability as a move action.
A warder can ready three of her five starting maneuvers, but as she advances in level and learns more maneuvers, she must choose which maneuvers to ready. She readies her maneuvers by going over battle tactics, through weapon drills, or spending time meditating in prayer for 10 minutes. The maneuvers she chooses remain readied until she decides to repeat this again and change them. Any given maneuver may only be readied once. Warders do not need to sleep or be well rested to ready their maneuvers; any time they spend 10 minutes in practice or meditation, they can change their readied maneuvers. She begins an encounter with all readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times she may have already used them since she chose them. When the warder initiates a maneuver, she expends it for the current encounter, so each of her readied maneuver can be used once per encounter (until they are recovered, see below).
You can ready all three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below). You can recover all expended maneuvers with a single swift action, which must be immediately followed in the same round with a melee attack or using a standard action to do nothing else in the round (such as executing a quick, harmless flourish with your weapon). You cannot initiate a maneuver or change your stance while you are recovering your expended maneuvers, but you can remain in a stance in which you began your turn.
You and a partner with the Faerie Mysteries Initiate feat practice 15-minute regimen of cultural rituals that grant you special bonuses on skill checks or combat rolls. You choose which bonus you'd prefer before conducting the exercise, modifying your regimen slightly to achieve the desired effect. Both practitioners must agree upon the rite to be performed and receive the same bonus. Granted effects last until the next time you perform the Faerie Mysteries.
The Faerie Mysteries require 4 hours of "trance" to clear the mind. If your rest is interrupted, each interruption adds hour to the total amount of time you must trance in order to clear your mind, and you must have at least hour of uninterrupted rest immediately prior to conducting the Faerie Mysteries. If you do not need to trance for some reason, you still must have 8 hours of restful calm before conducting the Mysteries.
Carols: You and your partner sing in beautiful harmony of the triumph of (an elven goddess) over (an orcish god), extolling the virtues of elves and enumerating the evils of orcs and goblins, When fighting orcs or goblins, you gain a +1 competence bonus on damage rolls with melee attacks and with ranged attacks at ranges of up to 30 feet, and you act as if you had the Improved Critical feat for the weapon you are using, This benefit does not stack with the Improved Critical feat or other effects that increase critical threat range.
Frolics : You and your partner engage in a carefree, joyful gambol featuring hand claps and energetic kicks. At the end of the ceremony, both partners receive a +4 insight bonus on Perform (dance) and Acrobatics checks.
Gyres: You join your partner in a delicate, deliberate dance involving clasped hands and a rigidly timed orbit around a living flower. You gain a +1 resistance bonus on all saving throws.
Passions: You and your partner engage in an exuberant sensual act. The ritual leaves both partners invigorated, allowing you to use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Constitution modifier to determine bonus hit points.
Source: Dragon Magazine #319
Zaratorn is a versatile defensive specialist who focuses on parrying or countering attacks on himself or his allies. His abilities lend themselves to longer fights, and he could expect to win most wars of attrition. Unlike most combatants, he fights as much or more on his enemies' turns as on his own.
Anytime he expects danger, he should assume the Ready the Draw stance as a swift action. Typically this is before combat has even begun. Since he doesn't need to draw his weapon to assume this stance, he can safely ready himself in social situations or without signaling his intentions (to all but the most astute opponents). Whenever possible, he should position himself within 15 feet of his allies to ensure he can protect them at a moment's notice.
Once battle has begun, he should use a swift action to switch to the Iron Guard Glare stance. If his allies are nearby, he can then activate his Patrol as a full-round action. This has no immediate effect, but once an enemy attempts to attack one of Zaratorn's allies, that enemy takes a penalty on the attack, and Zaratorn can move to intercept the attack before it strikes his ally. If he's already adjacent to his ally, he may spend an attack of opportunity and a parry attempt to try to parry the attack (effectively adding +6 to +8 on his attack). If his attack roll is greater than his enemy's, that enemy's attack is negated. For now, he can only do this once per enemy per round. When he needs to move into an adjacent position, this requires the expenditure of an additional attack of opportunity. Each enemy that directly targets him with an attack may be subject to a second parry.
If ever his parries were to fail (especially on attacks against himself), Zaratorn can initiate a counter as an immediate action as a last-ditch effort. If this succeeds, he can follow up with an extra attack as a free action. Against spells or similar unconventional attacks, he can fracture time itself to give himself a reroll by expending an attack of opportunity. Generally, Zaratorn will threaten a wider area than he appears to, tricking his enemies into provoking attacks of opportunity. Whenever he damages an enemy, he can apply an armiger's mark as a free action, further reducing their chance to hit his allies. When they finally do turn to face him, they'll find that he has a number of powerful attacks of his own, which he is free to unleash whenever he doesn't need to maintain his Patrol. In addition to his mastery of melee weapons, he's also a skilled sniper with elven longbows.
When absolutely necessary, he can call upon his ancestors to take up their ancient weapons and fight at his side. Usually, however, he simply consults them in meditation and prayer. Now that the Baldric Briar is awakened, he may converse with it telepathically, gaining insights or simply passing the time. Out of combat, Zaratorn is still a proud, noble elf in exile. Reasonably skilled in intrigues of the court, he's comfortable rubbing shoulders with royalty. Likewise, he feels at home in the wilds of the world, where he's learned to hunt and survive as well as any predator.
| Armiger (Awakener) | 1 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 1 | Warblade | 1 | Combat Expertise, Luck of Heroes, Faerie Mysteries Initiate | ||||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 2 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 2 | Warblade | 2 | |||||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 4 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 4 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Parry | Improved Parry | Guarded Defense | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Warblade | 4 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Battle Scion | 2 | Protective Parry | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Battle Scion | 2 | Brawler | 4 | Expert Parry | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Revenant Blade | 2 | Bonus Feat | 4 | Lightning Mace | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Warblade | 8 | Revenant Blade | 2 | |||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Warblade | 8 | Revenant Blade | 2 | |||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Warblade | 8 | Revenant Blade | 2 | Bladebearer of Valenar | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Warblade | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Revenant Blade | 2 | Bonus Feat | -4 | Weapon Focus (Valenar double scimitar) | ||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 2 | Mixed Combat | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Equipment: Finesse Fighting x2 | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Spear Dancing Style | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Spear Dancing Spiral | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Spear Dancing Reach | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Elven Battle Training | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 2 | Elven Battle Style | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Elven Battle Focus | ||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Legacy Champion | 0 | Elven Battle Torrent | ||||||||
| Armiger (Awakener) | 6 | Warder (Dervish Defender) | 8 | Eternal Blade | 8 | Fighter (Fracture) | 4 | Legacy Champion | 0 |