Eternal Blade, Variant (4e Paragon Path)
Eternal Blade
| “ | You face three millennia of fighting skill. Perhaps you should take a moment and reconsider your decision. | ” |
| —Aedar Windblade, eternal blade of the Hidden Grove, Tome of Battle | ||
Eternal Blade Overview |
| Characteristics: An eternal blade is an elf who learns a variety of exotic fighting maneuvers with the aid and advice of the spirit of a mighty, ancient elf warrior. The eternal blades once swore to defend the elves against the forces of evil, but in ages past,the blades turned against each other, causing a schism that echoes to the present day. Some eternal blades embrace the responsibilities that come with this class’s training. Others seek to use their talents to further their own ends. |
| Religion: Same as Swordsage. |
| Races: Restricted to Elves, Drow, Eladrin, and Half-Elves. |
The eternal blades were once champions of Corellon Larethian. They served as guardians of the people, defenders of the faith, and wardens of the ancient elf forests. The blade guides, the spirits of ancient eternal blades who serve as advisors and teachers to the current generation of warriors, kept the blades on the path of righteousness, preserved their teachings across each generation, and helped guide them in protecting elfkind. For thousands of years, the eternal blades beat back goblin invasions, would-be conquerors, and other threats. From the lone blade who slew an ogre that threatened a village, to the mighty general who commanded hundreds of these warriors in battle, the eternal blades fought evil wherever and whenever it threatened their kin. Alas, all good things must come to an end. In time, the eternal blades grew arrogant and aloof. After all, they had provided safety and security to the elf realms on countless occasions. If they kept the elves safe, did it not follow that their brethren owed them something in return? A growing faction within the blades believed that the eternal blades were the only ones fi t to rule the elves. Even worse, a number of the blade guides turned to evil and abandoned the order. In time, the eternal blades fell into disfavor. More and more elves refused the blade guides’ call. Today, the order is a mere shadow of its former glory, although legends tell of a heroic warrior who will one day lead the order back to prominence. The remaining blades hope that this triumph lies in their future, but many elves believe the story to be nothing but wishful thinking.
Eternal Blade Path Features
- Blade Guide (11th level)
- You gain a blade guide, the spirit of an ancient member of the eternal blades, that provides you with advice, tactical assistance, and training. The blade guide is insubstantial, has hit points equal to your own, and is size Fine. It has defenses equal to yours, and has a fly speed of 30-feet. If your blade guide is destroyed, or it somehow moves out of your line of effect, it reappears in your space at the start of your next turn. The guide is the physical manifestation of a spirit that resides on the Outer Planes. Destroying a blade guide’s form merely severs its link to the Material Plane for a short time. A blade guide appears as a mote of white energy. It uses your senses to see and hear, and communicates with you by telepathy. Thus, it cannot interact with objects and creatures that you cannot see. Your blade guide is meant to aid you in combat, not serve as a scout. Sometimes, your guide appears as a ghostly image of how it looked in life. This manifestation requires tremendous effort, and your guide chooses to attempt it only when it must communicate with others under dire circumstances. When a blade guide manifests, it can speak with others as normal. A blade guide can appear in this manner for up to 10 minutes per day. While it manifests, you lose access to your blade guide and any abilities that require it to function.
- Eternal Training (11th level)
- Your blade guide offers you intense martial training based on its years of combat experience in mortal life. Each night when you enter trance, your blade guide enters your mind. In your dreams, the two of you spar and practice across a hundred different battlefields. You fight ogres, trolls, and other monsters that your guide creates from the ether of dreams. You practice maneuvers beyond your normal capacity. With each night that passes, you become more and more skilled in the fighting arts
Benefit: You gain the Eternal Training Daily Power.
- Guided Action (11th Level)
- Your blade guide assesses your enemies, seeking out weak points in their armor and offering you advice on where and how to strike. Drawing on its experience and keen eye for strategy and tactics, your guide grants you advice that can render even the most daunting foe impotent.
Benefit - While your Blade Guide is with you, whenever you spend an action point, any attacks you make this round ignore all damage resistance, including insubstantial.
- Tactical Insight (16th Level)
- Although you might be young by the elves’ reckoning, your blade guide lends you the experience and wisdom of one who has fought battles across countless fields. In almost any situation you face, you have the experience, tactical lore, and knowledge needed to defeat your enemy.
Benefit - While your Blade Guide is with you, whenever you hit an enemy with a melee attack, that enemy suffers a penalty to AC equal to your Wisdom Modifier until the end of your next turn.
Eternal Blade Powers
Daily ♦ Martial
Free Action ♦ Close Burst 10
Target: One creature in the burst
Effect: You gain a power bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls equal to your Wisdom Modifier against creatures of the same subtype as the creature you designated until the end of the encounter.
Encounter ♦ Martial, Weapon
Standard Action ♦ Melee Weapon
Target: One creature in the burst
Attack: Dexterity vs Targets Lowest Defense
Hit: 3[W]+Dexterity Modifier, and the target is Weakened until the start of your next turn.
Special: By spending 3 Focus, you can also add your Wisdom modifier to the damage roll.
Encounter ♦ Martial
Minor Action ♦ Personal
Effect: You gain your surge value in temporary HP. This temporary HP lasts until the end of your next turn. If you take enough damage to remove the temporary hit points, you gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the end of the following turn.
Daily ♦ Martial, Weapon, Teleportation
Standard Action ♦ Melee Weapon
Target: Each enemy you can see when you use this power.
Effect: Before each attack, you teleport to a square adjacent to that target.
Attack: Dexterity vs AC
Hit: 1[W]+Dexterity Modifier Damage
Effect: Until you have attacked each eligible target once, you can teleport adjacent to a different target and repeat the attack against the new target. You then teleport back to your starting position.
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