Kensai - Fighter Archetype

Kensai are Warriors devoted to a single weapon with which they hone their skill, shunning magical enhancement and preferring to become ‘living weapons’. They remain unarmoured to give freedom of movement, relying on their physical hardiness and ability to parry to withstand the rigors of battle. Kensai Fighters are able to focus their internal energies to maximise damage, striking more rapidly and precisely whilst they maintain focus.

Weapon Mastery

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain mastery over a single Weapon. By spending 12 hours of training with this single weapon, you learn its balance and use until it becomes an extension of your own body, and it becomes your Kensai weapon. Whenever you are wielding your Kensai weapon, You gain the following benefits:

You gain a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage rolls. This Bonus increases to +2 at Level 10, +3 at Level 18. This bonus cannot be applied to a magical weapon.

Your superior mobility and parrying skills give you an unarmoured AC equal to 10 + Dex + your Intelligence Modifier. E.G. A Kensai with 16 Dex and 14 Intelligence has an unarmoured AC of 10 + 3 + 2 = 15.

You cannot gain these benefits if you use a shield or dual-wield. If your Kensai weapon is destroyed or reforged (e.g. for silvering) or you wish to change weapons, you must repeat the training to learn the balance and flow of the new weapon before you can gain these benefits.

Mastery Points

At 3rd level, your mastery of your Kensei weapon grants you a number of additional options on your blows. These abilities are fuelled by Mastery Points. You have a pool of these points equal to half your fighter level (round down) plus your Intelligence modifier, which replenishes at a Long Rest. You can use these points on the following options:

Forceful Strike - Whenever you make an attack with your Kensai weapon, but before you make your attack roll, you may choose to expend 1 Mastery Point per damage die to channel your energy and inflict Maximum Weapon Damage. E.g. If using a Longsword two-handed as your Kensai weapon, you may treat the 1d10 die roll as a 10.

- Whenever you make an attack with your Kensai weapon, but before you make your attack roll, you may choose to expend 1 Mastery Point per damage die to channel your energy and inflict Maximum Weapon Damage. E.g. If using a Longsword two-handed as your Kensai weapon, you may treat the 1d10 die roll as a 10. Parrying Strike - On your turn, you may expend 2 Mastery Points and your Bonus Action to take the Dodge action.

- On your turn, you may expend 2 Mastery Points and your Bonus Action to take the Dodge action. Empowered Strike - Whilst in your Battle Trance, you can elect to expend 1 Mastery Points to do Force Damage instead of Piercing, Slashing or Bludgeoning damage on your next attack.

Trance of the Living Weapon

Beginning at 7th level, your attunement to your Kensai Weapon enables you to enter a trancelike state during battle, granting near-precognitive reflexes. Whilst wielding a Kensai Weapon, you can use a Bonus Action to enter a Battle Trance. Whilst in this trance, you gain these benefits:

Swift Step - You gain +1 to your AC, Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.

- You gain +1 to your AC, Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Backhand Blow - Whenever you take the Attack Action on your turn with a melee weapon, you may make a Backhand Blow dealing 1d4 damage of your weapons type as a bonus action. This rises to 1d8 damage at Level 18.

- Whenever you take the Attack Action on your turn with a melee weapon, you may make a Backhand Blow dealing 1d4 damage of your weapons type as a bonus action. This rises to 1d8 damage at Level 18. Superhuman Skill - All weapon strikes made whilst in this trance are counted as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance.

You have 2 uses of this feature, each use lasts for 1 minute. You also lose the trance if you fall unconscious. You regain all expended uses following a long rest.

Trusted Advisor

A Kensai is a master of his weapon of choice. but he recognizes that true strength lies in being able to wield your words just as proficiently as your weapon. Beginning at 7th level, you can use your Intelligence modifier in place of Charisma for Deception, Persuasion and Intimidation checks.

Evasion

Beginning at 10th level, your heightened awareness allows you to dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fire breath or an Ice Storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Slaying Strike

You obtain this feature at 15th Level. Whenever you make an Empowered Strike, you can expend up to 4 additional Mastery Points to add another Weapon Damage die for each point expended. E.G. A two-handed Quarterstaff strike using 5 Mastery points (1 for Empowered plus 4) becomes 5d8 + STR Force Damage.

Living Weapon

At 18th Level, you are a paragon of focus and deadly precision.