Campaign of the Month: April 2011
Planejammer: The Spelljoined
Swashbuckler
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills
The swashbuckler’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the swashbuckler.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Swashbucklers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. Swashbucklers are proficient with light armour and buckler shields.Some of the swashbuckler’s class features, as noted below, rely on her being no more than lightly armored and unencumbered.
Bravado (Ex): As long as she is wearing light or no armour and she is unencumbered, the swashbuckler may add her Charisma modifier to her armour class, to a maximum of + 1 per swashbuckler level. This bonus is lost whenever the swashbuckler would lose her Dexterity bonus due to being flat-footed, surprised etc.
Weapon Finesse: A swashbuckler gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat at 1st level even if she does not qualify for the feat.
Bravery (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a swashbuckler gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by + 1 for every four levels beyond 2nd, to a maximum of + 5 at 18th level. If a character already has bravery from a second class, the levels from the classes that grant bravery stack to determine the bonus, to a maximum of + 5.
Fast Movement (Ex): A swashbuckler gains a + 5 ft. enhancement bonus to her speed at 2nd level. This bonus increases to +10 ft. at 9th level and to + 15 ft. at 18th level. A swashbuckler loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Grace (Ex): At 2nd level, a swashbuckler gains a + 1 competence bonus on Reflex saves, Acrobatics skill checks and Initiative rolls and a + 5 ft. bonus to land speed. These bonus increases to + 2/+ 10 ft. at 11th level and to + 3/+ 15 ft. at 20th level. A swashbuckler loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Insightful Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, a swashbuckler becomes able to place her finesse attacks where they deal greater damage. She applies her Intelligence bonus (if any) as a bonus on damage rolls (in addition to any Strength bonus she may have) with any light weapon, as well as any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier, whip, or spiked chain. Targets immune to sneak attacks or critical hits are immune to the swashbuckler’s insightful strike. A swashbuckler cannot use this ability when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Evasion (Ex): At 4th level or higher, if a swashbuckler makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a swashbuckler is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless swashbuckler does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Weapon Training (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a swashbuckler can select one group of weapons, as noted below. Whenever she attacks with a weapon from this group, she gains a + 1 bonus on attack and damage rolls.
Every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), a swashbuckler becomes further trained in another group of weapons. She gains a + 1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when using a weapon from this group. In addition, the bonuses granted by previous weapon groups increase by + 1 each. For example, when a swashbuckler reaches 10th level, she receives a + 1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with one weapon group and a + 2 bonus on attack and damage rolls with the weapon group selected at 5th level. Bonuses granted from overlapping groups do not stack. Take the highest bonus granted for a weapon if it resides in two or more groups.
Weapon groups are defined as follows (GMs may add other weapons to these groups, or add entirely new groups):
- Axes: handaxe, light pick, and throwing axe.
- Blades, Light: dagger, kama, kukri, rapier, sickle, and short sword.
- Close: gauntlet, light shield, punching dagger, sap, spiked armor, spiked gauntlet, spiked shield, and unarmed strike.
*Flails: nunchaku, spiked chain, and whip.
*Hammers: light hammer and light mace.
Dodge Bonus (Ex): A swashbuckler is trained at focusing her defenses on a single opponent in melee. Whenever she uses her Dodge feat, she may designate a single opponent and receive a + 1 dodge bonus to Armour Class against melee attacks from that opponent. She can select a new opponent on any action. This bonus increases by 1 at every five levels after 5th ( 2 at 10th level, + 3 at 15th, and + 4 at 20th). A swashbuckler loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
If the swashbuckler also has the Dodge feat, this bonus stacks with the dodge bonus granted by that feat.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 6th level, a swashbuckler retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a swashbuckler already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
Acrobatic Charge (Ex): A swashbuckler of 7th level or higher can charge in situations where others cannot. She 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 (Acrobatics checks, in particular) to successfully move over the terrain.
Improved Flanking (Ex): A swashbuckler of 8th level or higher who is flanking an opponent gains a +4 bonus on attacks instead of a + 2 bonus on attacks. (Other characters flanking with the swashbuckler don’t gain this increased bonus.)
Lucky (Ex): Many swashbucklers live by the credo “Better lucky than good.” A number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1), a swashbuckler of 11th level or higher may reroll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw. The character must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
Improved Critical: A swashbuckler gains Improved Critical as a bonus feat at 12th level even if she does not qualify for the feat. This feat may only be applied to a light weapon, or any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier, whip, or spiked chain
Acrobatic Skill Mastery (Ex): At 13th level, a swashbuckler becomes so certain in the use of her acrobatic skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. When making an Acrobatics check, a swashbuckler may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 14th level and higher, a swashbuckler can no longer be flanked. This defence denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the swashbuckler by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has swashbuckler levels. 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 level a rogue must be to flank the character.
Weakening Critical (Ex): A swashbuckler of 14th level or higher who scores a critical hit against a creature also deals 2 points of Strength damage to the creature. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 16th level, a swashbuckler’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless swashbuckler does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Slippery Mind: When a swashbuckler reaches 17th level, her mind becomes more difficult to control. If the swashbuckler fails her save against an enchantment spell or effect, she can attempt the save again 1 round later at the same DC (assuming she is still alive). She gets only this one extra chance to succeed at a certain saving throw.
Extra Lucky (Ex): Once per day, a swashbuckler of 18th level or higher may reroll a lucky reroll. The character must take the result of the second reroll, even if it’s worse than the reroll or the original roll.
Wounding Critical (Ex): A swashbuckler of 19th level or higher who scores a critical hit against a creature also deals 2 points of Constitution damage to the creature. (This damage is in addition to the Strength damage dealt by the swashbuckler’s weakening critical class feature.) Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.
Table: Swashbuckler Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Bravado, Weapon Finesse 2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Bravery, grace +1 3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Insightful strike 4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Evasion 5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Dodge bonus +1, weapon training 6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Uncanny dodge 7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 Acrobatic charge 8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 Improved flanking 9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 Weapon training 10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +3 Dodge bonus +2 11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +3 Grace +2, lucky 12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +4 Improved Critical 13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +4 Acrobatic skill mastery, weapon training 14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +4 Improved uncanny dodge, weakening critical 15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +5 Dodge bonus +3, weapon training 16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +5 Improved evasion 17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Slippery mind, weapon training 18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Extra lucky 19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 Wounding critical 20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Dodge bonus +4, grace +3