Blade Savant (5e Class)
Blade Savant
A tough human wielding a greatsword dives into the melee. One swing and a Kobold falls unconscious, and two flying daggers strike down the goblins waiting in ambush.
A rugged elf standing within a storm of blades sighs as the bandits fall, almost too easily to her powers.
A lithe half-elf swings his twin blades, felling one of the orcs, and spins, slaying another.
The Blade Savant is a fighter, born for battle and made for slaying. You can tap into arcane energies and commune with the ambient spirits within blades, to learn their secrets and feel the energies of others nearby.
Creating a Blade Savant
You are a Blade Savant, a mystical fighter who is a cut above the rank and file. What drove you to the intensive study required to learn the powers? What drives your fight? Were you a soldier who was hand-picked for the path, or self-taught, learning in a secret library somewhere?
- Quick Build
First, choose Strength or Dexterity as your highest stat, depending on whether you want to focus on finesse weapons or not, then choose Constitution. For your background, pick the soldier background
Class Features
As a Blade Savant you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Blade Savant level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Blade Savant level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: light armour
Weapons: simple Weapons, shortswords, longswords, scimitars, rapiers
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose 3 from Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Insight, Investigation, Performance
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Shortsword or (b) 2 Daggers
- (a) Simple weapon of choice or (b) Shortsword
- (a) Dungeoneer's Pack or (b) Explorer's Pack
- Leather Armour, Longsword, 3d4 × 10 gp
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Weapon Float, Rapid Strike |
| 2nd | +2 | Whispering Blades |
| 3rd | +2 | Blade Savant Archetype |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Weapon Float and Rapid Strike Improvements |
| 7th | +3 | Blade Savant Archetype feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Arcane Wounds |
| 9th | +4 | Detect Life |
| 10th | +4 | Weapon Float and Rapid Strike Improvements |
| 11th | +4 | Blade Savant Archetype feature |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Detect Life Improvement |
| 14th | +5 | Weapon Float and Rapid Strike Improvements |
| 15th | +5 | Blade Savant Archetype feature |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Detect Life Improvement |
| 18th | +6 | Supreme Weapon Float |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Arcane Slayer |
Weapon Float
At the 1st level, you tap into the mystic powers of the blade savant to lift 2 light melee weapons or 1 non-two-handed melee weapon per blade savant level. Two-handed weapons count as 2 non-two-handed weapons. Floated weapons cannot move more than 10 feet away from you, and if your movement would break this restriction, any weapons that would break this restriction move to your side. You may use your action to attack with any one weapon you have Floated, but you may not engage in Two-Weapon Fighting with weapons that you are carrying. You may lift any weapon within 10 feet that is not being wielded by another creature. At the 6th level, you may make a ranged attack with the floated weapon using your Dexterity with range 30/60ft, and it returns to you after the attack is resolved. At 10th level, the mystic energies flowing through your blades grow stronger, allowing you to move weapons 5 feet further away from you. At the 14th level, Floated weapons may move an additional 5 feet further away from you. At 18th level, any floated weapon attacks count as being magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity if they are not already. If you so choose, you may lift 2 Tiny objects in place of a Light weapon or 1 Small object in place of a non-two-handed weapon. Medium objects count as two-handed weapons.
Rapid Strike
The unmatched speed of the blade savant allows them to deal 1 additional point of damage to any enemy that has not yet acted during the current round. This increases to 1d4 at 6th level, 1d6 at 10th level, 1d8 at 14th level. In addition, at 14th level, your first attack during an encounter deals an extra 1d10 instead of 1d8.
Whispering Blades
At 2nd level, you may cast guidance on yourself or one other creature within 5 feet of you. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Blade Savant Archetype
At 3rd level, choose the Whirling Blade, Ravager, or Bladestorm archetype, detailed at the end of this class description. Your archetype grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, 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.
Arcane Wounds
At 8th level, when you deal damage you may force the target to make a Wisdom save with DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + half of your Blade Savant level (rounded down). On a failed save, the target takes psychic damage equal to the DC. You cannot target the same creature again until you have succeeded against a different creature. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Detect Life
At 9th level, the spirits within your blades allow you to feel the life force of creatures within 10 feet of you for a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom modifier+half of your Blade Savant level (rounded down), and you must maintain concentration for this period as if concentrating for a spell. You cannot tell their alignments, equipment, AC, or whether they are hostile, but you do know their size, current activity, and whether they know any languages (but not which ones). If they would be within line of sight, you may target them with attacks, but their AC is considered 1 higher than normal, and you must overcome any barriers in your path. At 13th level, the range of this ability is increased to 20 feet, and at 17th level, the range is increased to 30 feet. This ability has no effect on undead, constructs, or creatures that are immune to psychic damage. To detect creatures with resistance to psychic damage, you must make a Wisdom check with DC equal to 8 + The creature's proficiency bonus + The creature's Wisdom modifier, and the creature is made aware of your presence, regardless of whether you succeed or fail. You may use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once). Creatures vulnerable to psychic damage can always be detected, without the need to use this feature.
Arcane Slayer
At 20th level, mastery of the blade comes naturally to you, and the power that flows through your blades shifts their colours. When you deal any weapon damage, you may add 1 die of the weapon's kind to the weapon's damage.
Blade Savant Archetypes
Whirling Blade
You hone your speed to become a blur of light, a flash of steel to cut through any foe. When you choose this archetype at the 3rd level, you increase your land speed by 5 feet.
Spinning Slash
At 7th level, when you hit a target with two different melee weapons on your turn, as a bonus action you may attack another creature within 10 feet of you with the same weapons if you could attack this new target normally.
Speeding Death
At 11th level, you deal an extra 2d4 weapon damage for 1 minute. When this period ends, you gain one level of exhaustion and are incapacitated for 1 round. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Liquid Agility
At 15th level, increase your land speed by 5 feet. In addition, you cannot have your speed lowered unless you are restrained, and you ignore nonmagical difficult terrain.
Ravager
You are a terror to behold, a master of armour and heavy blades, a master of strength. When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in medium and heavy armour, and martial weapons.
Power Smash
At 7th level, when you hit an enemy with a weapon that you are holding with both hands, attacks made against that enemy have advantage, and it has disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saves for a number of minutes equal to your Strength modifier. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Forceful Slash
At 11th level, when you hit an enemy with a weapon that you are holding with both hands, you can force the enemy to make a Constitution saving throw with DC equal to the damage you rolled. On a failed save, the creature falls unconscious for a number of minutes equal to your Strength modifier. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. This feature may only affect creatures with fewer than 100 hit points remaining.
Solid Strength
At 15th level, wearing armour never reduces your movement speed, all damage you deal that includes your Strength modifier is increased by 1d4, and you are resistant to all non-magical slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage as long as you are wearing armour.
Bladestorm
You are a warrior who stands alone in a storm of steel of your own creation, a master of the Weapon Float. When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you may use Weapon Float on 1 additional weapon with the Light Quality per blade savant level starting at 3, and you may make Floated Weapon attacks with 2 floated weapons at a time.
Maelstrom
At 5th level, you may simultaneously make an attack with all of your floated weapons at once. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Lift Creature
At 11th level, you may use Weapon Float on a creature, counting it as 3 one-handed weapons (plus or minus 1 for each size category above or below Medium, Tiny creatures count as Light weapons and you may not lift Gargantuan creatures), and lift it for a number of minutes equal to your Blade Savant level. If using the lifted creature as a weapon, it deals 3d6 bludgeoning damage (plus or minus 1d6 for each size category above or below Medium). If made of soft materials like fabric, use d4 instead of d6; if made of hard materials like metal, use d8 instead of d6. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Storm's Wrath
At 15th level, weapons lifted with Weapon Float can move up to 30 feet away from you, and you gain a fly speed equal to your land speed as long as you are floating at least one weapon.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the blade savant class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity or Strength 13
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the blade savant class, you gain the following proficiencies: shortswords, longswords
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