Untouchable Blade (3.5e Class)

Untouchable Blade

Masters of hand-to-hand combat, Untouchable Blades, utilize speed to simultaneously defending themselves and handing opponents their asses.

Making a Untouchable Blade

Abilities: Dexterity and Two-weapon combat, mainly. Not only does a Untouchable Blade's attacks use dexterity modifiers, but also damage and most Untouchable Blade skills; A high intelligence score allows for more skill points. Finally, a Untouchable Blade should always be prepared, and a high wisdom score helps them succeed.

Races: This class is open to all races, though most Untouchable Blades are human (more skill points & feats), elf (more grace), or halfling (smaller size and dexterity bonus). Rarely would one find a dwarven Untouchable Blade, since dwarves not only prefer enemies attacks to be shruged off, but also often lack the speedy body. A half-orc's outlook in life is often incompatible with the calm steely nerves of a Untouchable Blade.

Alignment: Any, although due to the classes rigorous training requirement, most are at least somewhat lawful..

Starting Gold: 4d6x10 gp (140 gp).

Starting Age: As Fighter.

Table: The Untouchable Blade

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+0	+2	+0	Precision Strike
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+0	Evasion, Parry (1/0)
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+1	Quick Step (10), Feat
4th	+4	+1	+4	+1	Sudden Strike (1d6), Parry (1/1)
5th	+5	+1	+4	+1	Uncanny Dodge
6th	+6/+1	+2	+5	+2	Quick Step (20), Feat Parry (2/1)
7th	+7/+2	+2	+5	+2	Acrobatic Charge
8th	+8/+3	+2	+6	+2	Bulletproof, Unexpected Strike (-5), Parry (2/2)
9th	+9/+4	+3	+6	+3	Quick Step (30), Feat, Sudden Strike (2d6)
10th	+10/+5	+3	+7	+3	Special, Improved Uncanny Dodge Parry (3/2)
11th	+11/+6/+1	+3	+7	+3	Slashing Flurry
12th	+12/+7/+2	+4	+8	+4	Quick Step (40), Feat, Parry (3/3)
13th	+13/+8/+3	+4	+8	+4	Special Ability, Intercept Spell
14th	+14/+9/+4	+4	+9	+4	Unexpected Strike (-3), Sudden Strike (3d6) Parry (4/3)
15th	+15/+10/+5	+5	+9	+5	Quick Step (50), Feat
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+5	+10	+5	Special Ability, Slice the Sky, Parry (4/4)
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+6	Quick Step (60), Unexpected Strike (0) Parry (5/4)
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+6	Sudden Strike (4d6),' Special Ability
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	Augmented Critical, Parry (5/5), Bonus Feat
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Untouchable Blade.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Untouchable Blades are proficient with all simple weapons, as well with Halberds, Glaives and all manner of one handed slashing swords, including Shortswords, Longswords, and Scimitars, but not Rapiers or Battleaxes.

Untouchable Blades are proficient with light armor.

When wearing armor heavier than light, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a Untouchable Blade loses their Parry ability, as well as their Quick Step, Slashing Flurry, and Unexpected Strike abilities. Also, Armor Check Penalties apply to Unexpected Strike & Parry attack rolls.

Precision Strike: A Untouchable Blade adds their Dexterity bonus to attack rolls and in 10th level add Dexterity bonus in their damage rolls with any weapon they're proficient with.

Evasion: Starting at 2nd level, if a Untouchable Blade is allowed a Reflex save for half damage, they instead take no damage on a successful save.

Parry: Beginning at 2nd level and every 4th level after that, a Untouchable Blade may attempt to “parry” a successful attack as an immediate action once per round. When an attack is rolled and confirmed as successful, but before damage is rolled, the Untouchable Blade may roll an attack roll at their highest base attack bonus. If the Untouchable Blade’s roll is higher that the attacker’s roll, the blow is parried and the Untouchable Blade suffers no health lost. As a Untouchable Blade gains levels, they can parry more than one attack per round, though all of the parries together total one immediate action.

At 4th level, and every 4 levels after, a Untouchable Blade that has successfully parried an attack can instantly make a counter strike against any opponent in melee range, using the same roll as the parry attempt. Note that the attack does not need to be against the same person as the one that you parried. You can make as many counters as specified on Table: Untouchable Blade (Use the number after the “/”).

Attacks of Opportunity may not be parried.

Taking a Total Defense action increases the amount of parries made by two and counterattacks by one.

Quick Step: At third level an untouchable blade gains an enhancement bonus of 10 feet to his base speed. This bonus increases by 10 feet every 3 levels thereafter.

Feat: At 3rd level, a Untouchable Blade earns Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. At 6th level, they earn Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. At 9th level, they gain Two-Weapon Focus as a bonus feat. At the 12th level, they gain Two-Weapon Harmony as a bonus feat. At 15th level, they gain Two-Weapon Rend as a bonus feat. A Untouchable Blade need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to earn them.

Sudden Strike: Starting at level 4, a Untouchable Blade gains additional damage die against opponents that can’t defend themselves properly. In game terms, it means that a Untouchable Blade does an additional 1d6 damage for every 5 levels after 4th against opponents that are denied their dexterity bonus (if any) to their AC.

Uncanny Dodge: Your reflexes serve you well. Starting at 5th level, your character cannot be caught flatfooted.

Acrobatic Charge: A Untouchable blade of 7th level or higher can charge in situations where others cannot. Your character may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement or allies blocking her path. This ability enables her to run down steep stairs, leap down from a balcony, or to tumble over tables to get to her target. Depending on the circumstance, she may still need to make appropriate checks(Jump or Tumble checks, in particular) to successfully move over the terrain.

Bullet Proof: At 8th level, a Untouchable Blade may Parry a projectile aimed at them. Wooden projectiles (Arrows, Spears, Darts, etc.) are destroyed (DM’s may have you roll sundering damage against them, but in most cases they will break anyway). Metal projectiles (daggers, shuriken, etc.) are dealt 1 damage and land in a random adjacent square. This ability counts as Deflect Arrows for purposes of Feats.

Unexpected Strike: Upon reaching 8th level, a Untouchable Blade using a full round action to attack more than once per turn can make an Unexpected Strike. After at least attempting a strike the opponent with their main hand weapon, a Untouchable Blade may attempt to make an unarmed strike against their opponent. This unarmed strike adds dexterity (not strength) to the attack roll and does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If it hits, it deals no damage. Instead, it pushes them off balance, either denying them their dexterity bonus to AC or implying a -4 penalty to resist trip attempts if attacked or tripped next (this is the only case where a trip attempt may be made in conjunction with a full attack or Flurry move).

If a Untouchable Blade does not wish to use an attack for an Unexpected Strike, they can achieve the same results by making a Reflex save vs. the opponents AC, although the Reflex save takes a -5 penalty at 8th level. The penalty lessens to -3 at 14th, and disappears at 18th.

Special Ability: On attaining 10th level, and at every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th), a Untouchable Blade gains a special ability of their choice from among the following options.

Crippling Strike (Ex): A Untouchable Blade with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that their blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of their sudden strikes also takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.

Defensive Roll (Ex): The Untouchable Blade can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than they otherwise would. Once per day, when they would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the Untouchable Blade can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the Untouchable Blade must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, they take only half damage from the blow; if it fails, they take full damage. They must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute their defensive roll—if they are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, they can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the Untouchable Blade’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.

Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the Untouchable Blade still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth they takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless Untouchable Blade does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the Untouchable Blade can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the Untouchable Blade’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even a Untouchable Blade with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

Skill Mastery: The Untouchable Blade becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that they can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. Upon gaining this ability, they selects a number of skills equal to 3 + their Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, they may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent them from doing so. A Untouchable Blade may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.

Slippery Mind (Ex): This ability represents the Untouchable Blade’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel their. If a Untouchable Blade with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails their saving throw, they can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. They gets only this one extra chance to succeed on their saving throw.

Feat: A Untouchable Blade may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.

Improved Uncanny Dodge: A Untouchable Blade of 10th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a Rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking them, unless the attacker has at least four more Rogue levels than the target does.

If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum Rogue level required to flank the character

Slashing Flurry: When a Untouchable Blade of 11th level or higher uses a standard action to attack with any slashing weapon, they can choose to make a second attack with that weapon. They take a -5 penalty on the second attack.

When a Untouchable Blade uses a full attack action with any slashing weapon, they gain one additional attack at their highest base attack bonus. That attack and all other attacks made that round take a -5 penalty.

Intercept Spell When a Untouchable Blade of 13th level or higher is a target of a spell or spell-like ability that requires an attack roll, he or she may attempt to parry the spell to reflect it back at it's caster. If successful, the spell or abilityattacks the original caster (who makes a new attack roll using the same modifier as the original attack). If it hits, the caster is subject to the normal effect of the spell or ability.

This effect applies only to spells and spell-like abilities that require an attack roll. Other spells and spell-like abilities that affect a target aren't subject to this reflection.

Slice the Sky: 3/day, a Untouchable Blade of 16th level or higher may charge, making an attack against each opponent that comes into range. The Untouchable Blade provokes attacks of opportunity as normal and stops charging when successfully struck. Note that a Untouchable Blade does NOT overrun opponents; they only dash by them (though they are allowed to make tumble checks if attempting to go through an opponent’s space if the player so chooses). Also, if the opponent is killed before the character enters that square, the charge continues.

Augmented Critical At 20th Level, an Untouchable Blade truly becomes a master of slashing weapons. Whenever an Untouchable Blade wields a slashing weapon the Critical Multiplier is increased by 1 step, and the Critical Threat Multiplier is doubled. An Untouchable Blade wielding a long sword would threaten with 17-20 and deal x3 damage instead of 19-20 and x2. Additionally The Untouchable Blade no longer needs to confirm Critical Hits except when using Vorpal Weapons or similar abilities and only to confirm the decapitation. (They would still crit, but if they didn't confirm they would not automatically kill, or behead their target)

Epic Untouchable Blades

A Untouchable Blade of twentieth level or higher follows all normal rules for an epic level character. Along with that, Untouchable Blades Continue to increase the number of times of parries and counters per turn.

Human Untouchable Blade Starting Package

Weapons: Longsword, 2xDaggers.

Skill Selection: Tumble, Jump, Climb, Spot, Listen, Sense Motive

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Spot	4	Wis	--
Listen	4	Wis	--
Sense Motive	4	Wis	--
Jump	4	Str	-1
Tumble	4	Dex	-1
Climb	4	Str	-1

Feat: Combat Reflexes.

Bonus Feats: Combat Expertise.

Gear: Studded Leather, 2 Torches, Bedroll, Flint & tinder, 3 trail rations, 1 clay jug (full), 1 Backpack, 50 ft. of Hemp Rope.

Gold: 53 GP.

Campaign Information

Playing an Untouchable Blade

Religion: A Untouchable blade often prefer to devote their time to martial practice and study over theology. This is not to say you won't find a crusading Untouchable Blade, its just that they usually put their faith in themselves and their comrades more often than some intangible king-figure.

Other Classes: More often than not, a Untouchable Blade finds himself at the head of the party, though not the party's voice. This could put them in conflict with other, more archetypical leaders (Paladins, Fighters, Clerics, etc.) They respect the combat abilities of a fighter and other similar classes, but frown upon the recklessness of Barbarians. They also admire the stealthy and silent kill styles of the rogue archetype. A Untouchable Blade always has a Cleric by their side in case he messes up and bites off more than his Parrying abilities can chew.

Combat: A Untouchable Blade belongs on the front lines with other combat oriented classes, slashing enemies in two and blocking blows. At higher levels, when a Untouchable Blade can make multiple counter attacks, they belong behind enemy lines, surrounded by opponents and killing all of the when one makes the mistake of attacking them

Advancement: Untouchable Blades should focus on increasing their mobility and speed. If given the chance, most Untouchable Blades multiclass as Monks to gain additional speed as well as an unarmed attack (and the feat that treats unarmed attacks as slashing weapons).

Untouchable Blades in the World

“	It was a beautiful and frightening at the same time, as most displays of such power are. The entire Red Knives Gang jumped at him at once. Before the first one struck, all were sliced neatly in two, with out a single scratch on the man!	”
—Thomas Kreeyol, Dwarven Innkeeper and local storyteller

Daily Life: Many have similar lifestyle of lawful rogues.

Notables: Thomas Kreeyol.

Organizations: Although loners at heart, Untouchable Blades often congregate at battle schools, hoping to pass the trade off to the next generation. While there, they also socialize with others of the same class, swapping stories, training regiments, fighting styles, and even loot.

NPC Reactions: Until a fight breaks out, most Untouchable Blades are indistinguishable from either fighters or rogues depending on their armor. When they fully display their abilities, those that are friendly admire them, while those that don't know them are mixed with fear and awe. Over all, no actual penalties or bonuses to Diplomacy checks.

Untouchable Blades Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge(Local) can research Untouchable Blades to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge(Local)

DC	Result
5	Untouchable Blades are martial combatants focused on mobility.
10	Untouchable Blades are stealthy warriors that focus on mobility and defense.
15	Untouchable Blades are martial combatants that use agility over brawn to defend themselves and defeat their enemies.
20	Masters of hand-to-hand combat that speed to defend themselves by parrying blows and optimize their weapon swings to better effect than an average fighter.

Untouchable Blades in the Game

Close to rogue

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