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. The Blademaster Level Proficiency Bonus Features 1st +2 Combo Points, Cadences 2nd +2 Bladesmanship, Stance 3rd +2 Aspect's Style 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 Extra Attack 6th +3 Additional Cadences, Wise to the World 7th +3 Advanced Stances 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 Aspect's Style Feature 10th +4 Discipline and Flow 11th +4 Footwork Stances 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 Additional Cadences, Bottled Aggression 14th +5 Style Feature 15th +5 Rapid Strike 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 Style Feature 18th +6 Hybrid Stance 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 20th +6 Unlimited Combo 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 Hit Dice: 1d10 per blademaster level

1d10 per blademaster level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per blademaster level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, Medium armor

Light armor, Medium armor Weapons: Simple Weapons, Battleaxe, Glaive, Greatsword, Halberd, Lance, Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword

Simple Weapons, Battleaxe, Glaive, Greatsword, Halberd, Lance, Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword Tools: None

None Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom

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.

: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Crab Stance : You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class and Saving throws.

: 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.

: 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.

: 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. 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)

: 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.

: 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. Note Combo points do not dissapear when you leave combat. Only when you roll for initiative. 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. Unlimited Combo Mechanics For example, if you use Rupture, which requires 3 combo points, with 10 combo points, the attack gets +10 damage and you go down to 5 combo points. If you use Deliberate Strike, which requires 16 combo points, with 18 combo points, you gain +12 to the attack and damage rolls and have 2 combo points remaining. Blade's Path Path of Adamantine 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.